Donald Trump managed to break new rhetorical ground this week, declaring at a Fox News town hall event in Iowa that he would not be a dictator if he returned to the White House — “except for Day One.” Offered an opportunity to explain himself, the former president suggested that he’d use dictatorial powers to “close the border” and approve increased oil drilling.
When Sean Hannity tried to help his guest, the GOP frontrunner doubled down.
“I love this guy,” Trump added, referring to the host. “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.”
By any chance, might Republican officials have some concerns about their likely 2024 nominee endorsing a temporary dictatorship? Evidently not. Axios reported on some of the next-day reactions from prominent GOP senators:
“Trump’s super power is that he’s the most quick witted leader in a generation. Every grown man hyperventilating about this clip needs to find a sense of humor,” Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) tweeted. Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), who endorsed Trump this week, laughed at the clip on Fox Business and focused his response on the need for tighter border security.
When Republican Sen. Thom Tillis talked to CNN, the North Carolinian suggested Trump was right. “He said he would do two things: He would close the border and drill,” Tillis said. “Everybody could say that’s abusing power, I think that’s a righteous use of power and President Biden’s failed on it.”
Sen. Mitt Romney might seem like the sort of Republican who’d have a sensible reaction, but the Utah Republican also told CNN that the former president was merely “firing up the base” and “entertaining people.”
This need not be complicated. Trump, with little subtlety, has touted an authoritarian-style vision for the United States. Under the Republican’s…
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