Former United States President Donald Trump made light of his authoritarian tendencies on Tuesday, telling Fox News host Sean Hannity that he would only be a dictator on “day one” of his second term, and then he would focus on closing the border and drilling for oil.
“After that, I’m not a dictator, OK?” Trump said to a friendly crowd in Davenport, Iowa.
Trump did not address his repeated threats of “retribution” against his political enemies, including President Joe Biden and others who have challenged his false claims of election fraud.
Biden and many other critics, from both parties, have warned that Trump poses a serious danger to democracy, and this is expected to be a major theme in the 2024 campaign.
“Donald Trump has been telling us exactly what he will do if he’s reelected and tonight he said he will be a dictator on day one,” said Julie Chavez Rodriguez, the Biden-Harris campaign manager. “Americans should believe him.”
Trump has also used the term “vermin” to describe some of his opponents, a word that was employed by dictators like Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini in the 20th century.
“If Trump wasn’t running, I’m not sure I’d be running,” Biden told donors at a fundraiser on Tuesday, adding that he and his supporters “cannot let him win.”
Mark Esper, who served as defense secretary under Trump, told MSNBC that if Trump wins again, he will be able to “enact his policy of revenge that he’s been talking about, and retribution. And look, it’s quite a dangerous time for our democracy if that were to happen.”
Liz Cheney, a former Republican congresswoman who is promoting her new book, told CBS News that the country is “sleepwalking into dictatorship” under Trump.
The former US president used his Fox News appearance to attack Biden and blame his supporters for the four criminal cases that he is facing.
Trump also made fun of Biden’s age and questioned whether he would be the Democratic nominee. “I personally don’t think he makes it,” he said.
The event was billed as a “town hall,” but no one from the audience got to ask Trump a question.
Trump is facing two trials related to his attempts to overturn the 2020 election results. The other two trials involve illegal payments to silence women and mishandling of classified information.
He went to Iowa for the Fox News event a day before his Republican rivals met in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, for their fourth debate.
He has ignored all the GOP debates, citing his large lead in the polls.
