Donald Trump's Dictator Remarks Used Against Him

Donald Trump has been condemned by President Joe Biden's team after the Republican had to be asked twice if he would act like a dictator if he wins the next election.

The former president told Fox News' Sean Hannity during a town hall broadcast Tuesday night that he would only be a dictator on "day one" to implement some of his policies, but would not abuse his power in the White House.

Hannity sought assurance from Trump after a number of media outlets warned of the consequences if the frontrunner in the 2024 GOP presidential primary wins the next general election. Trump's rhetoric was also recently accused of mimicking Nazi leader Adolf Hitler and Italian fascist Benito Mussolini after he described his political enemies as "vermin."

During the town hall, Hannity asked Trump: "Under no circumstances, you are promising America tonight, you would never abuse power as retribution against anybody?"

"Except for day one," Trump said. "I want to close the border and I want to drill, drill, drill," he added in reference to his vow to expand oil drilling in the U.S.

When Hannity responds, with "that's not retribution," Trump adds: "I love this guy, he says, 'you're not going to be a dictator are you?' I said no, no, no, other than day one. We're closing the border and we're drilling, drilling, drilling. After that, I'm not a dictator."

Earlier in the interview, Trump sidestepped another question from Hannity when he asked the former president if he "in any way" had "any plans whatsoever, if re-elected president, to abuse power, to break the law to use the government to go after people."

"You mean like they're using right now?" Trump replied, an apparent reference to the four federal and state criminal investigations where the former president has pleaded not guilty to 91 charges in total. Trump has accused the investigations of being politically motivated "witch hunts" which aim to stop him winning the next election.

Responding to the former president's comments, Biden's 2024 campaign team said in a statement: "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. Americans should believe him."

The rapid response team for the Democratic Party also shared a clip of Trump promising he would be a dictator "on day one" on X, formerly Twitter, along with the caption "and there you have it."

Trump's office has been contacted for comment via email.

In recent days, conservative political commentator Robert Kagan has written an opinion piece for The Washington Post entitled "A Trump dictatorship is increasingly inevitable. We should stop pretending." The latest issue of The Atlantic focuses on what would happen if Trump wins the next election, with the magazine's staff concluding a second term in the White House "would be much worse."

Former Wyoming congresswoman Liz Cheney, a vocal Trump critic who was one of two Republicans on the House Select Committee that investigated the January 6 attack, also recently warned that the U.S. is "sleepwalking into dictatorship" if the former president beats Biden in 2024.

Senior Trump adviser Jason Miller rejected the fears that Trump would become a dictator if he is re-elected president.

"It's August 2016 all over again. Skyrocketing cost of health care has millions worried. President Trump's Dem. opponent off the campaign trail & hiding from the press," Miller posted on X.

"Dems & their media allies have given up on debating issues & have shifted to name-calling & rhetorical fearmongering."