When Donald Trump delivered the keynote address at the New York Young Republican Club’s 111th Annual Gala on Saturday night, much of the former president’s rhetoric was unremarkable — with one big exception. Politico reported:
“[Peter] Baker today in the New York Times said that I want to be a dictator,” Trump said, referencing an article from the newspaper’s chief White House correspondent. “I didn’t say that. I said I want to be a dictator for one day. You know why I wanted to be a dictator? Because I want a wall, and I want to drill, drill, drill,” Trump said, adding that Democrats’ “newest hoax” is to label him a threat to democracy.
For those who might benefit from a refresher, let’s recap.
The prohibitive frontrunner for the GOP nomination, with little subtlety, has spent much of the year touting an authoritarian-style vision for the United States. Under the Republican’s preferred approach, he would seize control of government departments and agencies that have historically operated with independence, enact radical anti-immigration plans, use government powers to crack down on journalists, and hire right-wing lawyers who will be positioned to help Trump politicize federal law enforcement and exact revenge against his perceived political foes.
He’s also been quite candid about issuing pardons to politically allied criminals and labeling his opponents “vermin,” seemingly indifferent to the word’s 1930s-era antecedents.
It was against this backdrop that Trump sat down with Fox News’ Sean Hannity last week for a town-hall-style event in Iowa, where the candidate said he wouldn’t 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 the host tried to help his guest, the GOP frontrunner doubled down.
“I love this guy,” Trump…
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