Trump Attorney Alina Habba Says Ex-President ‘Will Be Like Nelson Mandela’ If He Is Imprisoned For Violating Gag Order In Hush Money Trial

Donald Trump’s lawyer, Alina Habba, said that her client would be like the late South African President Nelson Mandela if he gets jailed for violating the gag order in his New York hush money trial.

On April 1, Judge Juan Merchan expanded a gag order in the case, thereby keeping Trump from constantly attacking his daughter, Loren Merchan. 

Initially, the gag order blocked the former president from making public statements about witnesses, other prosecutors, court staff and their family members if they were “made with the intent to interfere with” this case materially.

In a court filing on April 16, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office asked Judge Merchan to hold Trump in contempt for frequently using social media to disparage two of the witnesses in his hush money trial – ex-Trump lawyer Michael Cohen and former porn star Stormy Daniels.

Aside from advising Judge Merchan to fine Trump $3,000 for his latest Truth Social posts slamming Cohen and Daniels, prosecutors also asked the judge to warn him that he could face up to 30 days in jail for continuing to violate the gag order. 

Habba was interviewed by Fox News anchor Martha MacCallum on Fox News’ The Story with Martha MacCallum. 

During this interview, MacCallum asked the attorney if Trump would adhere to the guidelines in Merchan’s warning.

“Do you think that this threat of 30 days in jail will change the social media actions of the former president in any way, or will he keep doing this,” the news anchor asked Habba.

“I don’t think so,” Habba responded. “I think that he is respectful, but there have to be boundaries, and we should appeal it—it’s currently on appeal.”

“So there’s also a due process element to this,” she added. “We have items on appeal in this case that have not yet been heard.”

“Is he concerned about the possibility of being sent to jail as a ramification of these – ,” MacCallum asked before being interrupted by Habba.

“No,” the attorney stated in response.

“He’s not concerned about being sent to jail,” MacCallum asked.

“I don’t think, like anybody, he’s concerned about going to jail, but if they put him in jail for his First Amendment right, he will be like Nelson Mandela,” Habba declared.

“I mean, that would be just absurd, and frankly, they’ll win in the election,” she said.

While the many criminal cases against Trump have expanded, he has frequently compared himself to Mandela.

In October 2023, the former president compared himself to Mandela during a campaign rally in Derry, New Hampshire. Trump brought up his four indictments in his speech and even defended his actions.

He declared that no one goes “after the people who cheated” and that “those people are free.” He also stated that anyone who wants “to challenge the result of an election” can do so. 

Trump said he does not “mind being Nelson Mandela because” he is “doing it for a reason.”

On April 7, Trump declared that it would “be honored to go to jail” for violating the gag order in his hush-money case. 

Trump mentioned in a Truth Social post that if the judge wants him put in jail “for speaking the open and obvious truth,” then he would “gladly become a Modern-Day Nelson Mandela,” and he stated that it would be his “GREAT HONOR.”