Former President Donald Trump drew a comparison between himself and anti-apartheid activist Nelson Mandela on Monday, portraying himself as the target of federal and state prosecutors whom he alleges are pursuing him and his businesses for political reasons.

During his visit to New Hampshire to register for its presidential primary, Trump held a rally where he criticized President Joe Biden’s response to the Hamas attack on Israel and pledged to create a missile defense shield akin to the Iron Dome for the United States.

However, a significant portion of his speech was devoted to addressing the legal cases against him, and at one point, he suggested that he might face imprisonment, drawing parallels to Nelson Mandela, the former South African president who served 27 years in prison for opposing South Africa’s apartheid system and received a Nobel Peace Prize, the Associated Press reported.

“I don’t mind being Nelson Mandela because I’m doing it for a reason,” Trump said. ”We’ve got to save our country from these fascists, these lunatics that we’re dealing with. They’re horrible people and they’re destroying our country.”

These remarks followed Trump’s official submission of his candidacy for the inaugural primary, marking his distinction as the first individual who has held the presidency to complete this process in person on multiple occasions.

Inscribed on the commemorative poster at Concord’s statehouse, where all candidates are invited to leave their mark, were Trump’s words: “Vote for Trump and solve your problems.”

Written by staff