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lite.cnn.com - on gopher - inofficial
ARTICLE VIEW:
Trump’s new ‘dictator’ comment betrays his trick for expanding
his power
Analysis by Aaron Blake, CNN
Updated:
4:36 PM EDT, Tue August 26, 2025
Source: CNN
In case there was any mystery about methods for obtaining vast new
powers, he more or less copped to the whole strategy Tuesday.
“The line is that I’m a dictator, but I stop crime,” Trump said
during a Cabinet meeting, referring to his moves to send troops into
major American cities. “So a lot of people say, ‘You know, if
that’s the case, I’d rather have a dictator.’”
He later added: “Most people say … if he stops crime, he can be
whatever he wants.”
His comments — which expanded on in which he noted many people seem
to want a dictator — are extremely enlightening, given all that has
come before it.
Over and over again, Trump has tested the limits of his power by not
just taking extraordinary actions, but also by targeting things that
Americans don’t particularly like – or care to defend. Things like
crime.
Americans might not like the methods he’s using (majorities often
don’t), but they’re significantly less likely to raise a fuss if
he’s going after other things they don’t like.
It’s his modus operandi, and we’ve seen this in spades just in
recent days.
Trump wants to into a third city, Chicago. He’s signaled an effort to
try to crack down on . And his administration has upped the ante on s
like John Bolton and , including searching Bolton’s home and office
and making his former national security adviser a face of his
retribution campaign.
What do these targets have in common? All are viewed quite negatively.
Both Bolton and Christie, the former New Jersey governor, have burned
bridges on the left and then the MAGA right. Each was viewed negatively
by about a 2-to-1 margin in the most recent polls we have on them, from
and .
On Chicago, a 2023 Gallup poll showed Americans said to live in or
visit – the second-worst mark among 16 cities tested. (The
administration has made moves to send troops to three of the six cities
with the lowest marks in that poll, including Los Angeles; Washington,
DC; , where it remains unclear what that deployment would look like.)
And on flag-burning, it’s difficult to find a type of speech that
engenders more distaste. A showed 69% of Americans said flag-burning
was “never acceptable,” and a showed 67% said people shouldn’t
be allowed to burn or deface a flag.
That last poll also gets at the dilemma.
Ipsos polling has also shown that a sizeable majority of Americans ,
thanks to Supreme Court rulings.
But how many people are truly going to care that Trump is flirting with
unconstitutional action, given how distasteful they find flag-burning?
(It’s worth emphasizing here that the president’s executive order ,
even as he has billed it that way. But again, Trump is baiting people
to defend something hugely unpopular.)
Similarly, Americans broadly dislike the idea of Trump commandeering
the Justice Department to target his foes. But who is going to cry for
Bolton, of all people?
And likewise, polls have shown Americans generally into major US
cities. But who is going to object to the concept of cleaning up cities
that majorities of Americans have said aren’t even safe enough to
visit? What, are you going to defend crime?
Trump’s new comments give away the game. In his trademark “many
people are saying” fashion, he’s pitching crime as being so bad
that lots of people are calling for this expansion of presidential
power. So you might not like the troops, but the ends justify the
means.
This has become a familiar exercise with Trump. Repeatedly, he’s
geared his power grabs toward unsympathetic entities and ideas. People
have often balked at how he’s gone about it, but perhaps not as
strongly as they otherwise would, given the subject matter.
To wit:
The problem with fighting back against these power grabs is that it
requires explaining why you’re standing up for the thing that’s
unpopular – which isn’t often rewarded in our modern politics.
It’s simply a lot easier to say, “Crime is bad, and I’m doing
something about it.”
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