Trump says Americans would like a dictatorship

eclipsenow · Thursday at 8:54 AM

When we read the following, must remember how Trump's NPD shapes what he says. When he says, "A lot of people are saying..." it means "I know I'm completely lying to your face right now - but I DARE you to call it a lie! Then I'll just sulk and call you a nasty person! You're not allowed to shatter my fragile ego by implying I don't know everything about everything."

Time Magazine: 26 August 2025

President Donald Trump said Monday that he thinks Americans may like a “dictator,” though he wouldn’t describe himself as one.

“They say: ‘We don’t need him. Freedom, freedom, he’s a dictator, he’s a dictator,’” Trump told reporters at the Oval Office. “A lot of people are saying, ‘Maybe we like a dictator.’ I don’t like a dictator. I’m not a dictator. I’m a man with great common sense and a smart person.”

Trump’s remarks came as he signed a raft of executive orders, including one in which he tasked Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to lead the training of a specialized National Guard unit dedicated to “ensuring public safety” in Washington, D.C.

Seriously - is the guy OK?

I know he has NPD and lives to troll people - but this is a lot even for him.

Don't MAGA cringe with embarrassment when he opens his mouth?

When are the adults in the room going to say it's time for the 25th? It's just shameful now.

Desk trauma · Thursday at 9:01 AM

eclipsenow said:
When are the adults in the room going to say it's time for the 25th?

There are no adults in the room this time.

durangodawood · Thursday at 9:02 AM

eclipsenow said:
Seriously - is the guy OK?
I know he has NPD and lives to troll people - but this is a lot even for him.

Don't MAGA cringe with embarrassment when he opens his mouth?

When are the adults in the room going to say it's time for the 25th? It's just shameful now.

First off, whats the source?

Second, hes right about Americans. Probably not most, but a lot of them for sure.
Theyd like to see:
one-party rule,
a super strong executive,
a rubber stamp Duma style congress,
an option for indefinite terms in office.
martial rather than civil law.

Aryeh Jay · Thursday at 11:40 AM

durangodawood said:
First off, whats the source?

Second, hes right about Americans. Probably not most, but a lot of them for sure.
Theyd like to see:
one-party rule,
a super strong executive,
a rubber stamp Duma style congress,
an option for indefinite terms in office.
martial rather than civil law.

So your saying a lot of patriotic Americans would like to live in a perfect world.

essentialsaltes · Thursday at 12:00 PM

essentialsaltes said:
"The line is that I'm a dictator,” Trump said. “But I stop crime. So a lot of people say, ‘You know, if that's the case, I'd rather have a dictator.’” The president then added that he is “not a dictator.”

just 14% of Americans say they would approve of "the U.S. having a dictator if it led to much lower levels of crime”; 69% say they would disapprove. Even among Republicans, only 27% say they would approve of the hypothetical scenario Trump described.

Only 27%?!?

eclipsenow · Thursday at 5:55 PM

durangodawood said:
First off, whats the source?

Apologies - I was rushed last night. I edited the OP to include Time Magazine.

durangodawood said:
Second, hes right about Americans. Probably not most, but a lot of them for sure.

If that's so - that's terrifying.
They've forgotten human nature.
They've forgotten history.
They've given in to the desire for a more simplistic worldview.

durangodawood said:
Theyd like to see:
one-party rule,
a super strong executive,
a rubber stamp Duma style congress,
an option for indefinite terms in office.
martial rather than civil law.

Yes - and it especially appeals to the lower end of the IQ and EQ bell curve in a population - to those likely to listen to hours of QANON podcasts and want a clear 'goodie' to cheer on, and 'baddie' to spit on! It's all part of the package - and with Trump's NPD - he's exhibiting the whole package! Here are the top 4 qualities of someone aspiring to be a dictator.

Riding the confirmation bias: First, they are extremely talented at inflaming the “wish to believe”. Their cries of patriotism and righteousness are just what the populace wants to hear. The unquestioning acceptance of a dictator’s rhetoric is rooted in humankind’s most pervasive bias – the confirmation bias. This compels us to look for evidence to support our ideas and desires, while discounting contradictory information. Such a bias simplifies the complexity of our world, but can also be seen as a form of “neurological laziness”. As expert manipulators, dictators take advantage of this universal cognitive shortcut.

Identification with the aggressor: Dictators are also especially good at targeting socially and economically vulnerable people – those who are not always very well educated or informed and, as such, often feel confused and insecure. Dictators exploit the rage and frustration of this population through the psychological process of “identification with the aggressor”. Many of the disempowered see in the “strong” man or woman both a reflection of themselves and the promise of a victory over their downtrodden state. They are caught in the allure of illusions and magical thinking. They become brainwashed.

The blame game: Whatever the societal wrong, dictators are adept at inciting blame and scapegoating. They play off the primitive defence mechanism of “splitting”, positioning issues in terms of in- and out-groups, magnifying external threats and fanning a collective paranoia. At the same time, dictators offer themselves as steadfast saviours. Buying into the simplistic, binary propositions, their followers align themselves with the “good fight” against evil and become intolerant of those they perceive as different.

Propaganda lords: Dictators quickly learn the value of indoctrination. To maintain their hold on power, they seek to control information, ideally by centralising all mainstream media. Positive news is attributed to them and negative news is ascribed to enemies of the state. With the help of the propaganda machine, dictators become an integral part of everyone’s life. During elections, they manipulate the final outcome by curtailing press freedom, limiting the opposition’s ability to campaign and spreading misinformation – “fake news”. Dictators also try to prevent or destroy social frameworks and institutions serving as countervailing forces.

https://knowledge.insead.edu/leadership-organisations/fighting-against-dictatorship

Richard T · Thursday at 7:00 PM

eclipsenow said:
When we read the following, must remember how Trump's NPD shapes what he says. When he says, "A lot of people are saying..." it means "I know I'm completely lying to your face right now - but I DARE you to call it a lie! Then I'll just sulk and call you a nasty person! You're not allowed to shatter my fragile ego by implying I don't know everything about everything."

Time Magazine: 26 August 2025

President Donald Trump said Monday that he thinks Americans may like a “dictator,” though he wouldn’t describe himself as one.
“They say: ‘We don’t need him. Freedom, freedom, he’s a dictator, he’s a dictator,’” Trump told reporters at the Oval Office. “A lot of people are saying, ‘Maybe we like a dictator.’ I don’t like a dictator. I’m not a dictator. I’m a man with great common sense and a smart person.”

Trump’s remarks came as he signed a raft of executive orders, including one in which he tasked Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to lead the training of a specialized National Guard unit dedicated to “ensuring public safety” in Washington, D.C.

Seriously - is the guy OK?

I know he has NPD and lives to troll people - but this is a lot even for him.

Don't MAGA cringe with embarrassment when he opens his mouth?

When are the adults in the room going to say it's time for the 25th? It's just shameful now.

Many American Christians want a Christian leader that will prepare the kingdom of God here with Christian leadership and policies. I can understand where that is tempting, but it is likely based on a poor end times theology. Trump does not seem a likely choice anyway for longevity and for many policy choices. He is a good choice to bring the hammer though. Will it prevail through the courts? I think the Supreme Court is going to have to shut him down. Could be tariffs, troops in other cities, or the firings of certain officials or additional events in the future. Ultimately, I think failure is on the horizon. The good news is that God is going to get involved. Americans will I think have a chance to repent.

eclipsenow · Thursday at 7:34 PM

Richard T said:
Many American Christians want a Christian leader that will prepare the kingdom of God here with Christian leadership and policies. I can understand where that is tempting, but it is likely based on a poor end times theology. Trump does not seem a likely choice anyway for longevity and for many policy choices. He is a good choice to bring the hammer though. Will it prevail through the courts? I think the Supreme Court is going to have to shut him down. Could be tariffs, troops in other cities, or the firings of certain officials or additional events in the future. Ultimately, I think failure is on the horizon. The good news is that God is going to get involved. Americans will I think have a chance to repent.

2 points regarding theology in politics:

1. I'm Amil - which the vast majority of Christian theology has been through church history. The rise of various dispensational 'end times' views about Israel etc emerged as the popular Schofield Bible was published with all those extra bible notes and commentary. It gave American Christians a sense of some impending 'end-times-table'. And then Israel formed in 1948 - but has nothing really to do with Israel in the Bible and certainly is not theologically significant from a Christian point of view. It's just another nation. Basically - there is no 'timetable'. The Lord could return in 5 seconds or 50,000 years - we just don't know!

2. This is not really the forum for this kind of conversation. There's a Christians only forum for discussing a theology of politics, and eschatology. I can only stand the Eschatology section of this forum for so long. It gets truly bizarre up there! I'm burned out from that forum - and not yet ready to get into another Amil Vs Dispy thing at the moment. Please don't invite me to! This forum is for more secular and philosophical political discussion.

Richard T · Thursday at 8:22 PM

eclipsenow said:
2 points regarding theology in politics:

1. I'm Amil - which the vast majority of Christian theology has been through church history. The rise of various dispensational 'end times' views about Israel etc emerged as the popular Schofield Bible was published with all those extra bible notes and commentary. It gave American Christians a sense of some impending 'end-times-table'. And then Israel formed in 1948 - but has nothing really to do with Israel in the Bible and certainly is not theologically significant from a Christian point of view. It's just another nation. Basically - there is no 'timetable'. The Lord could return in 5 seconds or 50,000 years - we just don't know!

2. This is not really the forum for this kind of conversation. There's a Christians only forum for discussing a theology of politics, and eschatology. I can only stand the Eschatology section of this forum for so long. It gets truly bizarre up there! I'm burned out from that forum - and not yet ready to get into another Amil Vs Dispy thing at the moment. Please don't invite me to! This forum is for more secular and philosophical political discussion.

Yes eschatology is all over the map. The Christians most in support of trump are the kingdom now types. They are dominionists that belive Trump is called to usher in a Christian nation. that is why politics and Christianity are so intertwined. I will hold off on other less related end time views.

NxNW · Thursday at 9:07 PM

Richard T said:
Ultimately, I think failure is on the horizon. The good news is that God is going to get involved. Americans will I think have a chance to repent.

God let the Holocaust happen, so I suspect we're on our own.

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Trump says Americans would like a dictatorship

eclipsenow

Scripture is God's word, Science is God's works

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Desk trauma

The pickles are up to something

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durangodawood

re Member

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Aryeh Jay

Replaced by a robot, just like Biden.

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essentialsaltes

Fact-Based Lifeform

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eclipsenow

Scripture is God's word, Science is God's works

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Richard T

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eclipsenow

Scripture is God's word, Science is God's works

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Richard T

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NxNW

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