Does anyone else get really nervous anytime that President Trump talks about being a dictator, even when it is designed to quell fears and urge people that he is not, in fact, a dictator?
After all, claiming that he is not a dictator, and then going ahead and suggesting that a lot of people really want a dictator, feels like Trump's way of testing the waters. Seeing how the general American public will respond.
“The line is that I’m a dictator, but I stop crime,” Trump said during a Cabinet meeting, referring to his moves to send troops into major American cities. “So a lot of people say, ‘You know, if that’s the case, I’d rather have a dictator.’”
He later added: “Most people say … if he stops crime, he can be whatever he wants.”
So in one fell swoop, Trump has already laid the groundwork for his becoming a de facto dictator. Basically, he is claiming that "most people" are fine with him being a dictator, at least on condition that he "stops crime." And we are apparently just supposed to take his word for that? Have there ever been polls with that seemingly absurd question, about whether Trump really should be able to become a dictator? Frankly, even if most Americans are okay with Trump, theoretically, becoming a dictator, aren't there laws against it? I mean, if the Constitution means anything, doesn't it guard against an abuse of power precisely like the threat of an abusive dictator or absolute ruler?
Hello?
Believe it or not, this does not remind me as much of George Orwell as of the warnings - decades ago, mind you - by punk musician Jello Biafra, formerly of the Dead Kennedys.
It also reminds me of that well-known quote:
Trump’s authoritarian flexing has snowballed to the point where it’s hard to keep track. There are moments of ridiculous vibes, like when Trump suggests he could rename the Kennedy Center in his honor. But there are also moments that demand pause, such as when he wants the Pentagon renamed to the Department of War. The fact that we are even debating how far the country has shifted says volumes. When Richard Nixon in 1973 told newspaper editors gathered at Disney that he was no crook, the world shrugged. A half-century later when Trump says he is not an autocrat, audiences are left wondering if he’s making a promise or protesting too much.
Indeed, I also feel that King Con Don doth protest too much.
Frankly, everything that he says feels like there is some deeper, more sinister meaning than what he simply says on the surface.
12 Years Ago, Obama Joked He Wasn’t a ‘Dictator.’ When Trump Says It, No One’s Laughing by Philip Elliott Senior Correspondent, Aug 26, 2025:
https://time.com/7312463/trump-dictator-comment-fires-cook/
‘I am not a dictator,’ Trump says. Here’s what 21st century dictators do Analysis by Zach Wolf Zachary B. Wolf, August 26, 2025:
https://www.cnn.com/2025/08/26/politics/what-is-a-dictator-trump-analysis
Trump’s new ‘dictator’ comment betrays his trick for expanding his power Analysis by Aaron Blake, August 26, 2025:
https://www.cnn.com/2025/08/26/politics/dictator-comments-trump-power-expansion-analysis
Trump on dictator accusations: "I just know how to stop crime" by Rebecca Falconer, August 26, 2025:
https://www.axios.com/2025/08/26/trump-dictator-crime-crackdown-dc-democrat-cities
Exclusive: Most Americans see Trump as "dangerous dictator," poll says by Russell Contreras, Apr 29, 2025:
https://www.axios.com/2025/04/29/prri-poll-most-americans-trump-dangerous-dictator
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