At a recent town hall meeting, Fox News’ Sean Hannity gave former President Donald Trump a chance to refute the concept, raised by some Republicans, that if he were re-elected, he would be a dictator.
Instead of an undeniable denial, Trump declared that he would be a dictator until the “first day” of his term.
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who also is seeking the GOP nomination, has accused Trump of wanting to rule as a dictator. And former Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney, a Republican and frequent Trump critic, told CBS during a Dec. 1 interview that Trump “told us what he will do. It’s very easy to see the steps that he will take. … One of the things that we see happening today is a sort of a sleepwalking into dictatorship in the United States.”
Trump discussed the tariffs at an Iowa town hall on Dec. 5 with Hannity. Here, we read about the former president’s and current Republican leader’s comments in context.
During the mayoralty, Hannity tried twice to ask Trump if he would act like a dictator.
First, Hannity said that the media wants to call Trump a dictator, noting that Trump has used the words, “I am your retribution.” Then Hannity asked: “To be clear, 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?”
Trump did not respond directly and addressed the four charges against him, calling them “absurd” and “false allegations. “
Later, Hannity brought up the factor again:
Hannity: “I would like to return to this point, although the media has focused on this and attacked you. Do you under any circumstances promise the United States tonight that you will never abuse your force in retaliation against anyone?”
Trump: “Except on the first day. “
Hannity: “Except for?”
Trump: (pointing to Hannity) “Listen, he’s going crazy. Except on the first day.
Hannity: “What do you mean?”
Trump: “I want to close the border and I want to drill, drill, drill.”
Hannity: “It’s revenge. “
Trump, referring to Hannity: “We like this guy. He said, “You’re not going to be a dictator, are you?I said, “No, no, no, for the first day. “We close the border and drill, drill, drill. After all, I’m not a dictator, am I?
Hannity: “It makes me feel like I’m going back to the politics of when you were president. “
The media has documented multiple examples of Trump’s plans for a second presidency and comments that sound authoritarian.
At a New Hampshire campaign event, he vowed to “root out the communists, Marxists, fascists and the radical left thugs that live like vermin within the confines of our country that lie and steal and cheat on elections.” We have debunked the notion that the 2020 election was stolen or rigged.
Trump has taken several steps to fire local prosecutors; investigate Comcast, NBC, and MSNBC for treason and take them off the air; and finalize the U. S. Constitution.
And in an article in Truth Social, Trump advised that former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley be executed for treason. Trump criticized Milley, a U. S. Army general, for calling his Chinese counterpart to reassure him after the storming of the U. S. Capitol. On Jan. 6, 2021, Trump wrote on the social media platform that it was “such a blatant act that, in the past, the punishment would have been DEATH. “
Caryn Baird, a researcher at PolitiFact, contributed to the research of the report.
This fact-check was originally published through PolitiFact, a component of the Poynter Institute. Check out the resources for this fact-check here.