Accused of acting like a 'dictator,' Trump offers an unsettling response
Reflecting on critics who’ve called him a “dictator,” the president didn’t say the accusations were wrong — just that they’re irrelevant.
Trump doesn’t admire dictators DESPITE their despotism, he admires them *BECAUSE* of their despotism.
— Jonathan-FL #HumanRightsForEVERYONE (@amerliberal.bsky.social) 2025-08-14T21:03:53.722Z
Accused of acting like a ‘dictator,’ Trump offers an unsettling response, not that the accusations were wrong — just that they’re irrelevant.
www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...
https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/accused-acting-dictator-trump-offers-unsettling-response-rcna224982
At his latest press conference, the Republican addressed the underlying issue, responding to “dictatorial” accusations while commenting on his decision to deploy National Guard troops to D.C. streets and place local police officers under federal control. NBC News reported:
[blockquote]Trump criticized his political opponents for slamming his decisions to deploy the National Guard to D.C. and take over the D.C. police. ‘Already they’re saying, ‘He’s a dictator.’ [Washington, D.C.] is going to hell, and we’ve got to stop it,’ Trump said of the capital. ‘So instead of saying ‘He’s a dictator,’ they should say, ‘We’re going to join him and make Washington safe,’ drawing applause from some people in the room.
He delivered the comments as if he were baffled as to why anyone would criticize him for pursuing such an inherently noble and worthwhile goal.
Trump: "Already they're saying, 'He's a dictator!" The place is going to hell and we got to stop it. So instead of saying 'he's a dictator' they should say 'we're going to join him in making Washington safe.' They say 'he's a dictator!' and then they end up getting mugged."
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) 2025-08-13T16:02:30.365Z
....Soon after, White House border czar Tom Homan told reporters, “President Trump doesn’t have a limitation on his authority to make this country safe again. There’s no limitation on that.”
Homan: “President Trump doesn’t have a limitation on his authority to make this country safe. There’s no limitation.â€
— Republicans Against Trumpism (@rpsagainsttrump.bsky.social) 2025-08-14T02:42:27.409Z
This is exactly how authoritarian regimes justify abuses of power.
Of course, in this country, presidential powers are limited — by laws, court rulings and co-equal branches of government, but to hear Homan tell it, none of those considerations are especially important.
Ahead of Election Day 2024, Trump talked about “terminating” parts of the Constitution that stand in the way of his ambitions and creating a temporary American “dictatorship.” Months later, the relevance of that rhetoric lingers for increasingly obvious reasons.
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