On Wednesday, it seemed as though the former president Donald Trump would defy Judge Juan Merchan’s threat to put him in jail if he violated his restrictive gag order in the future.
Trump quoted American Founding Father Patrick Henry in an all-caps remark posted on Truth Social on Wednesday, saying, “Give me liberty or give me death.”
“It is an extremely unpleasant sensation to have your fundamental right to free speech, which is so important to our nation, so unjustly taken away from you, particularly when all of the sleazebags, lowlifes, and grifters that you disagree with are free to say anything they want,” Trump continued in his tweet.
Trump signaled this week that he is willing to be locked up for violating Merchan’s gag order in remarks to reporters.
On Monday, Merchan, a known donor to Democratic candidates, cited new examples of Trump violating the order after he fined the 45th president $9,000 last week for similar violations. “Merchan warned Trump that continued violations of the order could result in incarceration—a threat he made again on Monday after fining him the maximum of $1,000 for the most recent violation,” NBC News reported.
Trump, Merchan cautioned, “his continued willful violations of this court’s orders constitute a direct attack on the rule of law and threaten the administration of justice.” That cannot go on, in my opinion.
Later, outside Merchan’s trial, Trump responded.
“I tell you people, you ask me a question, a simple question, I’d like to give it, but I can’t talk about it because this judge has given me a gag order and said you’ll go to jail if you violate it,” he said.
“And frankly, you know what? Our Constitution is much more important than jail. It’s not even close. I’ll do that sacrifice any day,” he added.
The former president also noted that the trial is expected to last for several more weeks.