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Donald Trump stated in a town hall meeting with Sean Hannity that he’d only be a dictator on “day one” if reelected president, raising more alarms among observers.
On Tuesday (Dec. 5), former President Donald Trump sat down with Fox News host Sean Hannity for a town hall meeting event that was taped at Davenport, Iowa. Hannity asked the Republican frontrunner about his remarks targeting rivals and vowing revenge by abusing his power if reelected to the White House. Hannity pressed him on the subject by asking, “Do you in any way have any plans whatsoever if reelected 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.
Hannity asked him again “Under no circumstances, you are promising America tonight, you would never abuse power as retribution against anybody?” Hannity asked. Trump’s response was quick. “Except for day one,” he replied. “Meaning?” Hannity interjected. In a jesting manner, the twice-impeached president continued. “I love this guy,” he stated, “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.” The assembled crowd cheered as Hannity rejoined, “That’s not retribution.”
The clip has further alarmed many who have been pointing out Trump’s increasingly authoritarian rhetoric in the past months, telling his supporters at rallies that he “is their retribution” and promising to seek revenge against President Joe Biden and his family if elected to another term. “When we get there, the Biden crime family will pay a price like other people are being forced to pay. And that price will be very, very substantial,” Trump wrote in a post on his social media platform Truth Social back in August. President Biden has stated that Trump is “determined to destroy American democracy” in a meeting with donors earlier on Tuesday.
“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,” said Biden-Harris campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez in a statement issued after the town hall meeting aired. The remarks come a day before the remaining Republican primary candidates are set to debate each other in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.