By Elwood Watson
The late author Maya Angelou once stated, “When people show you who they are, believe them.”
Nowhere is that saying more applicable than the latest rantings of Donald Trump.
The former president was asked twice during a Fox News town hall earlier this month if he would rule out any abuse of power as retribution against his critics if he ends up returning to the White House.
“Except for day one,” Trump responded, noting he would use his presidential powers to close the southern border with Mexico and expand oil drilling. “After that, I’m not a dictator.”
No one should be caught off guard by such rhetoric coming from Trump. The twice-impeached former commander-in-chief has made it clear he is still seething about being voted out during the 2020 election. He is storming mad at Mike Pence, his former vice president, for refusing to falsely certify the election results in his favor. The emotions Trump harbors toward his Republican rivals are volcanic levels of seething anger.
The current Republican presidential frontrunner has scurrilously attacked his opponents — referring to them as “vermin” — and has made it clear in no uncertain terms he intends to seek revenge against all who have “wronged” him.
Trump has all but directly stated that one of his major goals during his second term is to fire major segments of the federal bureaucracy and target his rivals for prosecution. The comments have alarmed Democrats and become a chief election argument for Joe Biden as he prepares for a potential round two match against Trump.
“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,” Biden campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez said in a statement.
Last week, Biden told campaign donors he wasn’t sure he’d be running for reelection if Donald Trump wasn’t also in the race, warning that democracy is “more at risk in 2024.” In response, Trump has falsely claimed Biden is the “destroyer of American democracy” as he repeated his longstanding and entirely baseless contention that the four criminal indictments against him show Biden is misusing the federal justice system to damage his chief political rival. Moreover, to pacify the current president’s detractors, Trump has promised to prosecute Biden if he wins.
For the record, Biden has not been involved in any of the more than 90 federal indictments Trump is facing.
From a historical perspective, autocratic leaders rarely change once they return to power. The danger lies in the fact that too many journalists, political observers, pundits, and ordinary folk appear to be under the impression that since the nation did not end up succumbing to fascist state during his first term, that we have nothing to be all that concerned about if Trump gets a second term.
Nothing could be further from the truth. Escaping death the first time does not mean that a person should tempt faith the second time around.
This is also the same president who was able to appoint three Supreme Court justices in one term. These justices – Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett – along with Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, and occasional swing voter John Roberts would all but likely concur with him on items like immigration, voting rights, and abortion, just to name a few.
The majority of Republican politicians would submit to his demands, out of agreement, fear or resignation. After all, Trump has outlasted, cowered into submission or engineered successful efforts in defeating leading Republican lawmakers who have independent standing and demonstrated any degree of defiance toward opposing him.
The aforementioned realities and possibilities hardly provide any degree of inspiration for those of us who previously had faith in our system of checks and balances. That’s why it is crucial that those of us who are committed to the preservation of American democracy fight like hell to preserve it.
After all, faith and hope may be all we have left if Trump is successful in securing reelection next November.
Elwood Watson is a professor of history, Black studies, and gender and sexuality studies at East Tennessee State University. He is also an author and public speaker. He is the co-editor of two anthologies, “There She Is, Miss America: The Politics of Sex, Beauty and Race in America’s Most Famous Pageant,” and “The Oprah Phenomenon.” He is the sole editor of the anthology, “Searching The Soul of Ally McBeal: Critical Essays.” His book, “Outsiders Within: Black Women in the Legal Academy After Brown v. Board,” was published in 2008.
Laurel says
Trump is the biggest threat to democracy we have had to date. I hear people say “yeah, he steps in shit now and then,” or “He’s a New Yorker big mouth, so what?” They blow off all his nasty, revengeful talk, not acknowledging that Trump doesn’t give one flying f**k about them. They don’t believe it. All his supporters, unless they have a $200,000.00 membership, with close to $20,000.00 in annual dues, they would be denied the service entrance to Mar A Lago. One needs that payment for an opportunity to see top secret documents like he showed to Australian billionaire Anthony Pratt.
His supporters think Trump is working for them, they turn a blind eye to Trump’s ego, his narcissism, his lack of any sort of compassion, his need for PERSONAL revenge. I just hope they don’t learn the hard way; it’s tough pill to swallow.
TREEMAN says
Biden is a DICTATOR!!! Destroying America with his “Green Deal”! He has SOLD OUT America to Communist China! His OPEN Border policy is a WELCOME SIGN to Terrorists!! IMPEACH Biden-NOW!
Jim says
Biden has not endorsed the Green Deal.
Biden has not sold out to China. In fact, he has done a good job of balancing a strong defense and economic posture with China while at the same time trying to repair the damage done to the relationship by Trump.
As far as I know, we haven’t had a terrorist come in through the southern border under Biden. But I will agree with you that the border needs to be tightened up. But wouldn’t it be great if the Republicans and Democrats worked together to create an actual immigration process that works? That might help the situation.
The Republicans voted on straight party lines to open an impeachment inquiry on Biden. However, I’ve yet to hear a single Republican articulate any actual “high crimes and misdemeanors” that is the basis for the inquiry although they’ve been investigating for a year or more. And that was great because they didn’t find time or energy to vote on the little things like a continuing resolution to fund the government (get to that next January) nor funding for Ukraine and Israel. But, hey, they’ve got you all fired up so they obviously are doing something right (aren’t they?)!!!
marlee says
Trump and his supporters are now completely open about their plans to remove the restraints on his power that limited him last time.
They are normalizing the term “dictator”…… and asking how authoritarian Trump might be, as if some level of authoritarianism has already been accepted.
marlee says
TREEMAN……..
and…….ofcourse you must know……
The Trump border wall failed for many reasons!!!!!
Immigrants used cheap ladders to climb over it. They used power tools to cut through it. They cut through small pieces and squeezed through, and they cut through big sections and drove through.
TR says
I don’t know you so I hope you were using sarcasm when you typed your comment. None of those things were being done. Cut through steel with power tools, yea right with no power at the boarder and a plasma cutter would be needed. Lets get real.
Tired of it says
There are actual videos of these things happening. Do your research.
Tired of it says
See for yourself.
https://nypost.com/2023/12/01/news/video-shows-smuggler-cutting-down-part-of-border-wall/
Me says
Doanld did oneof his pep rally’s last night as usual to built his sick ego up. Pep rally’s is all he does since he is too chicken to attend a debate.
AS usual he praised all the communistic dictators he so adores.
Anyone that calls President Biden a dictator is only poisoned by the fake, lies and propaganda they are listening to.
Trump will take even his devoted supportors freedom away if reelected and forget Trump females supporters all their female rights away.
Fro his supporters do yourself a favor for our country and just listen to another news station for one day beside Fox and listen to both sides of the coin, you owe that to yourself and our country.
Tired of it says
You are sounding a little hysterical. How exactly is any of that happening? Cite actual facts not what you heard on FAUX. More importantly..what exactly are the Reoublicans proposing to do about the border? Have they offered any legislation to deal with it? But wait…I thought trump had fixed the problem.
Edith Campins says
The MAGA sheep are lapping it up. They want to be led by a dictator. As much as they blather on about the Constitution they will support him when he suspends it..as he has said he would do.
DaleL says
TREEMAN, there is a simple way to not have Biden get elected a 2nd term. Get Mr. Trump off the ballot. President Biden has already said that if Trump were not running, he wasn’t sure he would be. Anyone with any political sense knows that Trump is an awful candidate. Just don’t support loser Trump. The Atlantic has a well researched article titled, “Why Trump Won’t Win”.
You should not be lulled by political polls nearly a year before an election. Trump is expending money and effort to try and eliminate any viable primary challenge. Trump’s legal problems are all his own. Some Republicans, at Trump’s insistence, are actually saying that the Capitol police who defended Congress on January 6th should be prosecuted! So much for the party of Law & Order!
In contrast, the Biden campaign is amassing an enormous amount of money for the 2024 presidential campaign.
Perhaps you missed it, President Biden has been trying to secure a deal with Republicans to fund more aid for Israel and Ukraine as well as to increase funding for greater border security. It is in fact the Republicans who are weakening border security in order to blame the Biden administration.
Christopher says
Why would they need a plasma cutter? They just need a torch to cut through and they can be carried to the so called wall.
Christopher says
Didn’t Mexico pay for the wall like Frump says?
Sherry says
@treeman. . . 6 words for you: Anger Management Counseling, Switch to PBS!
Laurel says
Treeman managed to distract, as there is no way to defend Trump. It’s near impossible to keep Trumpers on the topic of Trump. They don’t know what to say if Fox Entertainment, Newmax, eta al, has no comeback for them to fall back on. Its more important to report that Biden is not a man ’cause he drinks with a straw. Oooooh, they got him there!
Laurel says
They also had it on 60 Minutes.
Toto says
Someone here drank too much Kool-Aid! Geez Treeman, what do you watch on TV? You can’t possibly believe the BS the orange Jesus spews, unless you’re that stupid. God forbid he somehow wins this election, within a few short months you’ll see what a dictator is capable of doing. He’s a pitiful excuse for a human. But there seems to be a lot of deaf stupid people in the US. Very sad…
feddy says
Not according to Joe Biden, Climate change is the biggest threat.
marlee says
I DID SEE FOR MYSELF! I HAVE BEEN TO THE BORDER!
Yes, I am yelling……Have you?????????
Laurel says
feddy: I was not quoting Joe Biden, I wrote my own belief. Read again. But go ahead, continue to distract and deflect. Trump is not defensible.