‘I don’t mind being Nelson Mandela,’ says Donald Trump defending his legal battles

Former US president Donald Trump compared himself to the anti-apartheid icon and the late South African statesman Nelson Mandela.

Trump was speaking during a rally in New Hampshire on Monday, where he claimed that he was a victim of prosecutors targeting him for political reasons.

This comes amid numerous civil and criminal cases against the controversial former president.

He is facing 91 felony counts in four criminal cases in Washington, New York, Florida, and Georgia and could potentially be looking at years in prison if convicted, according to AP.

Among his cases are racketeering and conspiracy charges for colluding with 18 other defendants to overturn the 2020 election result in Georgia. His mugshot for this case went viral.

‘I don’t mind being Nelson Mandela’

“They only go after the people that challenge the results of the election; they don’t go after the people that cheated. Those people are free,” Trump said during the rally.

“Those people have no problem. If you want to challenge the results of an election, they hound you… and scare you, but we don’t get scared.”

Trump then implied that he was not scared of going to prison like Mandela, who spent over 27 years in prison for opposing the apartheid system.

Mandela and former president FW de Klerk were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993 for their work for the peaceful termination of the apartheid regime and for laying the foundations for a democratic South Africa.

“I don’t mind being Nelson Mandela because I’m doing it for a reason. I’m doing it for a reason. We’ve got to save our country from these fascists,” he said.

ALSO READ: ‘Historic mug shot’: Donald Trump arrested in Georgia election case

Trump is the first American president in history to face criminal charges.

Despite this, he is still vying for the Republican nomination to stand for president in the US’ November 2024 White House election.