Donald Trump is being trolled after he said he would be “willing to go to jail” for the sake of democracy.
At a campaign event on Monday in Iowa, the former president told supporters: “I am willing to go to jail if that’s what it takes for our country to win and become a democracy again.”
Mr Trump is currently facing a number of criminal indictments, at both the federal level and in state cases in New York and Georgia.
One such indictment relates to his alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election, for which he could receive a maximum sentence of 55 years.
Mr Trump is accused of conspiring to defraud the United States by preventing Congress from certifying Joe Biden’s victory and conspiring to deprive voters of their right to a fair election.
According to the indictment, the former president pressured state and federal officials – including former Vice President Mike Pence – to alter the results of the 2020 election and incited a violent assault on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.
All the indictments faced by the former president carry potential prison sentences that add up to a potential maximum sentence of 717.5 years in prison, though Mr Trump is unlikely to face that much time if convicted.
Due to maximum sentencing guidelines, the maximum amount of time Mr Trump could spend in prison if convicted on all counts is around 70 years.
However, as a first-time offender, it is unlikely Mr Trump will receive maximum prison sentences for any of the charges, and it is unknown if he will spend any time in jail at all, according to experts.
Former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Iowa— (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)
Nonetheless, social media users still delighted in trolling Mr Trump for admitting he is willing to go to jail.
“Sounds like a plan,” Donald Trump’s niece Mary Trump said on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Ms Trump has been one of the former president’s most vocal critics, recently denouncing her “maniac” uncle for “likely” leaking Israeli intel to the Russians.
Meanwhile, blogger “John the Gnerphk” tweeted: “I’ll take him up on that in a heartbeat.”
Mr Trump has strongly denied all of the charges against him in each indictment.
The former president is currently the front-runner for the Republican nomination despite facing a number of criminal indictments at both the federal level and in state cases in New York and Georgia.
