Trump says it will be a 'great honor' to be the 'modern day Nelson Mandela' as ... trends now
Donald Trump has said he would 'gladly' go to jail in defense of his free-speech rights - while likening himself to the late Nelson Mandela.
The comparison to the South African leader who served some 27 years before eliminating apartheid came in a three-part post to his tanking Truth Social.
In it, the GOP frontrunner not only fancied himself one of the biggest heroes in recent history, but revealed how he wanted to forgo the expanded gag order against him in his upcoming hush money trial in New York.
He lashed out at the judge who granted the order, after repeatedly targeting him and his daughter - who has served as president to a firm that does digital campaign work for several Democratic candidates.
Politically, Trump has compared to himself to various figures from history in the past, like George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, and aesthetically, even Elvis Presley.
Moreover, it's not the first time he juxtaposed himself against the African head of state - with that comparison stemming from claims he is being unfairly prosecuted by the current administration. The 77-year-old stood by this belief on Saturday.
Donald Trump on Saturday said he would 'gladly' go to jail in defense of his free-speech rights - while likening himself to the late Nelson Mandela
The remarks regarding the South African leader came in an impassioned post to Truth Social, which criticized jurists handling the litany of legal cases against him
'Crooked Judge Juan Merchan is not allowing me to talk, is taking away my First Amendment Rights, he’s got me GAGGED, because he doesn’t want the FACTS behind the Gag to come out,' wrote Trump of Merchan, before claiming it would be his 'great honor' to go to jail for speaking the truth.
'How many Corrupt, Biased, Crooked Joe Biden- “Protection Agency” New York Judges do I have to endure before somebody steps in?' he continued, after making repeated threats against him and his daughter, posting her name and photos despite her not being involved in the case.
He then went on to bring up Federal Judge Lewis Kaplan, who last month approved Trump's $91,630,000 bond in the defamation case brought by columnist E. Jean Carroll.
Referring to Carroll as the 'mysterious lady' who 'said rape was sexy', he wrote: 'I had New York Federal Judge, Lewis Kaplan, with a woman who I never knew, and had nothing to do with, until she sued me for “defamation.”'
He further claimed Carroll - who accused Trump of 'penetrating' her in a Manhattan dressing room in 1996 - 'did not know what day, month, or year the supposed “incident” took place.
'She knew nothing,' he asserted, before honing in more on the man who presided over his civil defamation case that entered a second stanza this year after a jury determined Trump was liable for assaulting Carroll, awarding her $5 million in damages.
Mandela - who died in 2013 aged 93 - served some 27 years in prison before eventually eliminating the apartheid system in the country he came to lead
A photo from the mid-1960's show a line of prisoners victimized by the practice, which governed relations between the white minority and nonwhite majority during the 20th century
Seen here is the prison cell of the former South African President in Robben Island, Cape Town. He spent 18 years of his sentence there after speaking out against the policy, before his release in 1990. The anti-apartheid activist was elected leader of the country four years later
In January, a jury awarded Carrol - who was at the height of her success at the time of the assault - a further $83 million for the defamation verdict, which caused Trump to post a $91 million bond needed to keep her from collecting while he appeals.
Trump, in turn, wrote: 'Kaplan, a Hillary friend, wouldn’t even let my lawyers put on a proper case, made it two cases instead of one, took away my American Right to defend myself, and was a Crazed Bully as his wife and friends sat in the Courthouse, every day in their little roped off section, and prodded him on in awe.
'This mysterious lady, who said rape is sexy,' he went on, 'got $91 Million Dollars.'
Then, in a subsequent post advertised as 'page 2', he zeroed in Judge Arthur Engoron, the New York jurist tasked with deciding the future of the former president's real estate empire.
Last October, he ruled Trump committed years of fraud by exaggerating his wealth and the value of assets on financial statements used to get loans and make deals.
As punishment, the judge said he would dissolve some of Trump’s companies - a decision that could cause him to lose
