Former President Trump said Saturday that going to jail for violating his gag order in his New York hush money trial would be his "great honor."

Why it matters: The presumptive GOP presidential nominee is days away from the April 15 start of the trial, where Judge Juan Merchan recently expanded a gag order to stop the former president from attacking family members of those involved in the case.

What he's saying: "If this Partisan Hack wants to put me in the 'clink' for speaking the open and obvious TRUTH, I will gladly become a Modern Day Nelson Mandela," Trump said Saturday in a Truth Social post.

• "We have to Save our Country from these Political Operatives masquerading as Prosecutors and Judges, and I am willing to sacrifice my Freedom for that worthy cause," he said.

Catch up quick: Merchan had first issued a gag order against the former president in late March, prohibiting him from making or directing others to make public statements regarding counsel in the case, aside from District Attorney Alvin Bragg.

• Merchan expanded the gag order this past week to include protections for family members of prosecutors and court members.

Zoom out: Trump, who has pleaded not guilty to all charges and has denied any wrongdoing, faces 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in the first degree related to alleged hush money payments made in 2016.

• This will be the first of Trump's four criminal cases to go to trial and could be the only one to see a decision before the 2024 presidential race.

Go deeper: Judge expands gag order in Trump hush money case