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Please watch the short video above as a companion to this piece, where I discuss Trump’s dictator talk.
Trump keeps bringing up the fact that he is being called a dictator and then praising ruling like a dictator, but pivoting and saying he’s not a dictator.
Trump said during his cabinet meeting, while talking about his imaginary meeting where Gov. Wes Moore (D-MD) supposedly praised him, “ Then he (Moore) goes on television, says, oh, Trump is a dictator. He’s a dictator, and a lot of people here, so, so the line is that I’m a dictator, but I stop crime. So a lot of people say, you know, if that’s the case, I’d rather have a dictator, but I’m not a dictator. I just know how to stop crime.”
Donald Trump doesn’t like being called a dictator, even though, going back to the 2024 campaign, the current president has talked about being a dictator on day one.
Observing the behavior of his administration, it is clear that what Trump is advocating is his belief in the notion that presidents possess unlimited and unchecked executive power.
The belief that presidential power is unchecked has been the defining trait of his second administration.
Where other presidents take actions that they think are legal and then let the courts settle the question, Trump assumes everything he does is legal, and makes people sue to stop him or reverse.
If the Trump concept of an unchecked executive reshapes the institution of the presidency, it represents a danger that goes beyond if any president tries to seek a third term.
The second Trump administration is attempting to shatter the constitutional principle of coequal branches of government. While it might feel good to imagine a Democratic president behaving this way after Trump’s term ends, it would not be good for democracy or the nation.
Donald Trump is not going to try to seek a third term. Trump is the ultimate troll who knows that even mentioning this gets him headlines and sends some Democrats into a tizzy. Ignore Trump’s words. His actions say that he intends to leave when his term ends.
What Trump is doing is much more dangerous. He is attempting to shatter constitutional principles and redefine the power of the presidency. Richard Nixon was the first president to try this. Trump has gotten further than Nixon ever did.
When Trump talks about being a dictator, understand what he is really talking about, and the long-term threat his ideas pose to democracy.
Someday, Trump will be gone, but he can’t be allowed to imperialize the presidency before he goes.
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