Donald Trump says he is willing to go to jail.
The former president made the remark at a campaign rally in Iowa Monday afternoon, just hours after a federal judge in the 2020 election interference case against him imposed a limited gag order that prevents him from targeting prosecutors, court staff and potential witnesses.
"But what they don't understand is I am willing to go to jail if that's what it takes for our country to win and become a democracy again," Trump declared, per Newsweek.
He also suggested the gag order was an attempt to slow down his momentum as GOP front-runner. A recent poll showed Trump had support from more than 58% of Republican voters, even as he fights legal battles that could prevent him from appearing on the ballot. Another poll shows Trump and Biden are neck and neck among registered voters in a potential re-match.
"They're getting beaten very badly by me in the polls. They think the only way they can catch me is to stop me from speaking. They want to take away my voice," Trump said, per Newsweek. "You know what a gag order is? You can't speak badly about your opponent. But this is weaponry all being done because Joe Biden is losing the election and losing very, very badly to all of us in the polls. He's losing badly."
Trump's attorney told U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan on Monday their position on the gag order is that it is censorship. The judge disagreed.
Trump has claimed it is a violation of his First Amendment rights, despite Judge Chutkan telling Trump's attorney, "The First Amendment yields to the administration of justice."
The order came after Trump repeatedly attacked special counsel Jack Smith and suggested that Gen. Mark Milley, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and a potential witness in the case, should be executed.
"His presidential candidacy does not give him carte blanche to vilify public servants who are simply doing their jobs," Chutkan said, per CNN. "When you start to use a word like 'thug' to describe a prosecutor doing their job, that wouldn't be allowed by any other criminal defendant. Just because the defendant is running a political campaign does not allow him to do whatever he wants."