On Monday, President Donald Trump suggested that some Americans might prefer a “dictator,” although he did not apply that term to himself.
Addressing reporters in the Oval Office, Trump stated: “They claim: ‘We don’t need him. Freedom, freedom, he’s a dictator, he’s a dictator.’” He added, “Many people are now remarking, ‘Perhaps we actually like a dictator.’ I, myself, do not like a dictator. I am not a dictator. I am a person of substantial common sense and intelligence.”
These comments from Trump were made as he was signing several executive orders, including one that assigned Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to oversee the training of a specialized National Guard unit dedicated to “ensuring public safety” in Washington, D.C.
The President’s of the National Guard to Washington, D.C., and his declarations about deploying the National Guard to —purportedly to address crime, even though —have fueled apprehension regarding his and the extent of presidential power.
Regarding , Trump remarked, “When I witness what is occurring in our cities and then troops are deployed, instead of being commended, people are claiming you are attempting to seize control of the Republic.” He added, “These individuals are truly ill.”
This is not the first occasion where Trump has dismissed critiques of acting dictatorially while simultaneously appearing to be receptive to the notion. During his 2023 campaign, Trump stated on Fox News that he would not be a dictator “except for Day 1,” elaborating, “after that, I’m not a dictator.”
Trump later clarified his 2023 comment in a , asserting that he said it “sarcastically” but also believing that “many people found it agreeable.”
A Public Religion Research Institute poll conducted earlier this year reveals that a substantial views Trump—who has often spoken about the prospect of and whose administration has demonstrated a —as a “dangerous dictator whose authority must be curbed before he dismantles American democracy.”
