On Monday, the former President, Donald Trump, hinted at his readiness to face imprisonment over his consistent defiance of a gag order issued by a New York judge.

Trump, addressing reporters after the day’s court session in his hush money trial, stated, “This judge has given me a gag order and said you’ll go to jail if you violate it. 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 further expressed his dissatisfaction with the ongoing proceedings, saying, “But what’s happening here is a disgrace, and the appellate courts ought to get involved.”

Judge Juan Merchan found Trump guilty of violating the gag order for the tenth time on Monday. He ordered Trump to pay a fine of $1,000 for his attacks on jurors in his hush money criminal trial. This ruling came just days after the judge’s decision on an earlier set of gag order violations.

Merchan cautioned Trump that future violations could lead to imprisonment. He told Trump, “The last thing I want to do is put you in jail,” but added, “at the end of the day, I have a job to do.”

Merchan criticized Trump’s repeated violations, saying, “Your continued violations constitute a direct attack on the rule of law.”

The gag order prohibits Trump from insulting witnesses, jurors, prosecutors, court staff, and the judge’s family. However, it does not prevent him from criticizing the judge or Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D).

Trump has vehemently criticized these restrictions, claiming they infringe upon his First Amendment rights to respond to political attacks. He believes he should have the right to do so, especially as the presumptive Republican nominee for the presidential election in November.