DERRY, NEW HAMPSHIRE: Former President Donald Trump, the leading contender for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, compared himself to Nelson Mandela on Monday, October 23, during a rally in Derry, New Hampshire.
Trump's comparison aimed to portray himself as a victim of political persecution amid the numerous criminal charges he currently faces.
"I don't mind being Nelson Mandela because I'm doing it for a reason," Trump stated, addressing a crowd of enthusiastic supporters. This remark came shortly after he filed to appear on the presidential ballot in New Hampshire.
'Trump is a legend in his own mind'
Trump's statement generated sharp criticism on social media.
Critics pointed out that Nelson Mandela spent a significant amount of time in prison but emerged as a figure of reconciliation and unity, whereas Trump is entangled in various legal cases, including two federal indictments brought by special counsel Jack Smith, as well as state criminal prosecutions in New York and Georgia.
"Nelson Mandela, the epitome of heroism, stands tall in history. Trump is a legend in his own mind," one posted on X.
"Wait....what? He's an oppressed black leader in an apartheid state? That's new..." another added.
"Nelson Mandela was in prison for a long long time, so it's a very good thing that you don't mind being Nelson Mandela," a comment read.
"Did Mandela take classified documents and when subpoenaed not give them back or try to overturn an election? Just wondering," someone else wrote.
"Nelson Mandela fought an apartheid regime then was a big enough man of character to reconcile with the people who persecuted him. What he did wasn’t for himself," another chimed in.
Some of the most serious charges against him are related to alleged mishandling of classified information and efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results. In New York, he and his eldest sons have been found liable for fraud in a civil fraud case.
Trump's vow to sacrifice for the nation
Trump's self-comparison to the Nobel Peace Prize-winning anti-apartheid activist follows his recent statement in Iowa, where he expressed his willingness to go to jail "if that's what it takes for our country to win and become a democracy again."
As he contemplates a potential general election rematch with President Joe Biden, Trump devoted a significant portion of his campaign speech to discussing Israel's conflict with Hamas.
He used this topic to criticize President Biden's recent address to the nation and argued that Americans are less safe under Biden's administration. Trump called for the development of a missile defense system in the United States similar to Israel's Iron Dome, emphasizing his desire to "build a shield around our country."
In his increasingly impassioned rhetoric on the campaign trail, Trump warned that a vote for Biden in 2024 would turn the United States into a "hotbed of jihadists" and drew parallels to the Gaza Strip.
He cited Hamas' attack on Israel and the subsequent war to advocate for his hard-line immigration policies, including the implementation of a travel ban on predominantly Muslim countries should he win reelection, per CNN.
The former president's campaign appears to be marked by a mix of legal challenges and controversial statements as he seeks a return to the White House in 2024.
