Former President Donald Trump brushed off the constant “dictator” claims made against him by his political foes during Wednesday night’s Fox News Town Hall, stating, “I said I’m gonna be a dictator for one day, and we’re gonna do two things: The border, we’re gonna make it so tight you can’t get in… And the other is energy, we’re gonna drill, baby, drill.”
“After that, I’m not gonna be a dictator,” Trump continued. The former president made similar comments during a town hall last month, which were widely taken out of context and promoted by his opponents, including President Biden, as evidence that Trump intends to act as an actual dictator if elected again. In context, however, it appears that Trump’s definition of being a dictator is merely to use his constitutionally granted executive authority to address two serious issues — border security and energy security — that are greatly impacting Americans.
During the town hall, moderator Bret Baier also asked Trump if he would condemn political violence as never acceptable. “Of course,” Trump responded. “That’s right.”
Aired at the same time at a Ron DeSantis vs Nikki Haley debate on CNN, Trump’s town hall attracted rave reviews from online viewers. The debate for second place, however, was less palatable, with Haley and DeSantis mostly resorting to smear attempts against one another for just under two hours.