Trump says it will be a 'great honor' to be the 'modern day Nelson Mandela' as he rails about four upcoming court cases

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.

'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.

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 control of iconic properties like Trump Tower.

The penalty in that case was pegged at more than $354 million back in February - leading Trump on Saturday to slam the former Vietnam activist as 'a total lunatic [and] whack job.'

'[He] ruled that I should pay an almost $500 Million Dollar “fine” for having done nothing wrong (No Victims, No Damages, Ironclad Disclaimer, ONLY SUCCESS!)

'[I]n fact,' he added 'he was the one who committed fraud when he purposely, at the direction of Racist, Corrupt A.G. Letitia James, undervalued Mar-a-Lago at $18 Million Dollars.'

This claim stemmed from his ruling that resolved the claims aired in the suit, filed by New York AG Letitia James - against him, his company, and his top executives.

Circling back to Merchan, Trump said the federal judge 'is not allowing me to talk, thereby violating the Law and the Constitution, all at once. 

'It is so bad what he is trying to get away with,' he further claimed, before asking, 'How was he even chosen for this case??? I heard he fought like hell to get it, and all of the rest of them also!'

At that point, Trump dropped his last bombshell  - this one bearing the name of the decorated apartheid activist who died in 2013, though not before leaving behind a legendary legacy.

Citing this, Trump said: 'If this Partisan Hack wants to put me in the “clink” for speaking the open and obvious TRUTH, I will gladly become a Modern Day Nelson Mandela - It will be my GREAT HONOR. 

'We have to Save our Country from these Political Operatives masquerading as Prosecutors and Judges, and I am willing to sacrifice my Freedom for that worthy cause,' he continued.

'We are a Failing Nation, but on November 5th, we will become a Great Nation again. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!'

In prior Truth Social post, the embattled ex president asked responders whether the Republican Party should keep Trump on the ticket even if he's convicted of a crime, resulting in 60 percent of respondents saying it should,

Moreover, despite the bevy of cases against him, Trump benefited from a slimmed-down primary field, after the surrender of friend-turned-rival Ron DeSantis and South Carolina's Nikki Haley.

 Biden has now surfaced as his biggest threat, and Trump, in most polls, appears well ahead. He continues to point out that dynamic on truth social, as trials for his four criminal cases and several civil cases still loom.

He remains adamant he will run even in the event of a conviction, hence the Mandela comparison, which he already made back in 2023.

As was the case then, onlookers online were left somewhat stumped by the assertion.  

Trump's next big day in court will come during the week of April 22, where oral arguments will be given to the US supreme court as he seeks presidential immunity in the face of a federal prosecutor's claims he attempted to subvert the election in 2020 and on Jan. 6.

The justices said in an order issued Wednesday they will take up the question on that date, further delaying Trump's prosecution, which had been already paused while he has been pressing his immunity appeal in the lower courts.

He is also facing a criminal case in New York City, on charges involving a scheme to bury allegations of extramarital affairs that arose during his first White House campaign in 2016.