WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Monday and Tuesday implied, with the sincerity of someone offering you soup, that perhaps Americans actually prefer authoritarian rule—as long as it comes with crime reduction. He assured reporters that though he is not a dictator, many seem to think that being one isn’t inherently bad if one can curb crime. He emphasized, repeatedly and with gusto, that he is just a guy with “great common sense” and intelligence—clearly not the stuff of tyranny.
During a press appearance Monday, Trump introduced an executive order authorizing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to train a specialized National Guard unit tasked with public safety in Washington, D.C. and potentially other Democratic-run cities. The president seemed puzzled that critics—“saying you’re trying to take over the Republic,” he sniffed—were offended. “A lot of people are saying, ‘Maybe we’d like a dictator,’” he mused, before repeating his preferred self-description: “I don’t like a dictator. I’m not a dictator. I’m a man with common sense and a very smart person.”
On Tuesday, in what observers are calling “Day 2 of the Dictator Tour (Not Really),” Trump restated the theme during a Cabinet meeting. “The line is that I’m a dictator, but I stop crime,” he deadpanned. “So a lot of people say, you know, ‘If that’s the case, I’d rather have a dictator.’ But I’m not a dictator—I just know how to stop crime.”
The backdrop of these remarks is a federal takeover of DC policing. Trump has deployed National Guard troops, FBI, ICE, and Border Patrol agents to patrol the city streets—even as homicide rates were already trending downward—while installing Attorney General Pam Bondi to oversee local police operations.
Critics, correctly calling it alarming, have drawn comparisons to historical authoritarian overreach. One retired National Guard general warned it eerily recalls 1930s Germany. Meanwhile, a recent Axios-cited survey highlights that a majority of Americans now view Trump as a "dangerous dictator."
Even celebrity chef José Andrés chimed in, calling Trump “confused” for claiming most DC restaurants had closed due to crime—saying the municipal food scene remained vibrant, and it’s the militarized atmosphere that’s scaring people off. “Restaurants will close because you have troops with guns … making people afraid to go out,” Andrés cautioned.
From the left-leaning perspective, the subtle irony of insisting you’re not a dictator while seriously entertaining the idea that Americans would like one could be described as “democracy theater.” It’s especially pointed when millions—through the "No Kings" protests in June—spoke clearly against such authoritarian overtones.
