Trump claims 'a lot of people' want a dictator in US, Internet fires back 'not even MAGA says this'

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump clapped back at criticism that he is acting like a dictator by sending federal law enforcement into cities to curb crime.

He said that while he does not see himself as one, some people believe the country could use a dictator.

He made the comments on Monday, August 25, before signing executive orders to eliminate cashless bail and criminalize flag burning, while again targeting Democratic-led cities for their crime levels.

Trump defends federal crackdowns

Donald Trump told reporters that leaders in cities such as Chicago were ungrateful for his administration’s intervention.

“As you all know, Chicago is a killing field right now,” he said while pointing to his earlier remarks about sending National Guard troops into the city.

“And they don’t acknowledge it. They say, ‘We don’t need him, freedom, freedom, he’s a dictator, he’s a dictator,’” stated Trump, mocking his critics.

The commander-in-chief then claimed, “A lot of people are saying, ‘Maybe we would like a dictator.’ I don’t like a dictator; I’m not a dictator. I’m a man with great common sense, and I’m a smart person.”

Trump further argued that the federal crackdown on Washington, DC, had reduced crime, despite official statistics showing that violence there had been trending downward. He hinted Chicago could be next in line.

JB Pritzker, Wes Moore, and others reject Trump’s narrative

Democratic leaders have rejected Donald Trump’s narrative, accusing him of inflating crime stories for political purposes.

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, who was also the subject of ridicule during Trump's Oval Office on Monday, said over the weekend that “there is no emergency” in Illinois that would allow the president to federalize the state’s National Guard. He also accused Trump of “attempting to manufacture a crisis.”

On Monday, Pritzker promptly responded to Trump ridiculing him by calling him a "slob" and "disaster" and suggesting he should hit the gym amid his plans for a likely Chicago crackdown.

"I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again and again: We don’t have kings or wannabe dictators in America, and I don’t intend to bend the knee to one," Pritzker wrote on X (formerly Twitter). 

Maryland Governor Wes Moore also disputed Trump’s claims about Baltimore, pointing out that the city’s homicide rate has reached a 40-year low.

“If [Trump] wanted to have a serious conversation about violent crime, he should have to pay attention to the work we’re doing in the state of Maryland to be able to address the issue,” said Moore, as per The Independent. 

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries joined the criticism, saying Trump had “no basis” and “no authority” to send troops or agents into Chicago.

He acknowledged Democratic voters also want to reduce crime, but maintained that the president's tactics were politically driven.

Trump, however, insists that his opponents are simply being uncooperative. He said his moves to deploy federal law enforcement or federalize state National Guards were meant to help cities.

“When I see what’s happening to our cities, and then you send in troops, instead of being praised, they’re saying ‘You’re trying to take over the Republic,’” Trump said. “These people are sick.”

Internet reacts as Trump claims many people might want a dictator in the US 

Online reactions showed strong pushback against Donald Trump’s comments.

“The way Trump consistently boils his base slowly and warms them up to each new level of terminology will never not blow my mind,” one X user wrote.

Another said, “Dictators don’t ask. They act. They rewrite history. And they rewrite the rules to make it legal.”

A person said, “No we don’t like a dictator, maybe your cult likes a dictator but real patriots don’t like dictators,” while someone else mentioned, “This should set off alarm bells in a normal republic.”

Others directly challenged Trump’s claim that people wanted a dictator, with one writing, “No one is saying that,” and another demanding, “Name just one.”

“No one is saying this. Not even MAGA,” another tweet read. 

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.