December 06, 2023 02:33 PM UTC

Trump Pledges to Rule as a Dictator "Only on Day One"

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• by: Colorado Pols

Much has been written and discussed in recent weeks (HERE, HERE, and HERE, for just a few examples) regarding an open secret about Republican Donald Trump’s Presidential Dictatorship aspirations for 2025. Trump supporters, including unofficial press secretary Sean Hannity of Fox News, have been quick to dismiss various reports as “fake news,” but this gets harder to do as Trump himself says the words out loud.

As The Washington Post reports:

Former president Donald Trump said Tuesday that he would not be a dictator upon returning to office “except for Day One,” as he largely deflected questions at a televised town hall event about whether he would abuse his powers to seek retribution against his political adversaries. [Pols emphasis]

Fox News host Sean Hannity pressed Trump on two occasions during the event in Davenport, Iowa, on whether he would promise not to abuse his powers upon returning to the White House. In both occasions, Trump circumvented the question and did not outright deny the possibility.

“Under no circumstances — you are promising America tonight — you would never abuse power as retribution against anybody?” Hannity asked Trump during the latter exchange.

“Except for Day One,” Trump quickly replied, prompting someone in the audience to yell out: “Yeah!”

You can watch the clip yourself below:

Trump defenders are furiously trying to dismiss these comments as a joke, but if Americans vote for a guy who literally says he wants to be a dictator, and he then tries to rule as a dictator…well, you get what you paid for.