Reason #9 to Vote Blue on Nov 5
Trump believes that America needs a strong national leader, one with powers beyond that of our Constitution. It is Trump’s own words that cause me and others* to compare him to dictators or absolute kings in history.
Consider his speech in New Hampshire on December 16, 2023.** In the address, Trump praised (1) Hungarian strongman Viktor Orbán: He “is the man who can save the western world.” (2) Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, saying that Trump’s court trials are “very good for Russia because it shows the rottenness of the American political system.” (3) North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un saying, “He’s not so fond of this administration, but he’s fond of me.”
Orbán, Putin, and Kim know how to run a society, Trump boasts. And he claims that they see in Trump a strong leader in the same mold.
Trump has been articulating this belief for decades. In a 1990 interview, he praised the Chinese government for crushing pro-democracy demonstrations, comparing it favorably over the “weak” policies of the United States government. “When the students poured into Tiananmen Square, the Chinese government almost blew it,” he said, “Then they were vicious, they were horrible, but they put it down with strength. That shows you the power of strength. Our country is right now perceived as weak.”
Twice during a town hall on “Fox News” last Dec 6, Sean Hannity asked former President Donald J. Trump to say categorically that he would not abuse presidential power and retaliate against his political opponents if elected next year. Both times, Mr. Trump declined to give an outright denial, adding: “I won’t be a dictator, except on Day 1.” The kind of power he envisions for himself, even for a day, is not justified under the US Constiutution.
Speaking like a dictator on June 13, 2023 in Florida, Trump said: “I will appoint a real special prosecutor to go after the most corrupt president in the history of the United States of America, Joe Biden, and the entire Biden crime family… name a special prosecutor, and all others involved with the destruction of our elections, our borders and our country itself.
“I will totally obliterate the deep state. We will obliterate the state and we know who they are. I know exactly who they are.”***
Promises of retribution are a sign that Trump will not follow the Constitution. Leveraging power to “get even” is a key characteristic of dictators.
Millions of his supporters are looking forward to Trump exacting vengeance, as seen by one of many MAGA social media postings:
Sources:
Others saying there is a danger that Trump will be a dictator, most notably, Robert Kagan in a lengthy Nov 30, 2023 Washington Post editorial.
Examine Trump’s words in his December 16, 2023 New Hampshire speech: a transcript.
Trump’s words in his December 16, 2023 New Hampshire speech: a column of analysis.
“I am your retribution” comments June 2023
One hour program from Australia, analyzing Trump’s “Retribution” Agenda
What Trump’s war on the ‘Deep State’ could mean: ‘An army of suck-ups’ (CNN)
