There continues to be articles and op-eds written about what a second Trump presidential term would look like. Most of them concern the fact that he could become the first dictator in American history. The fact is, Trump is already a dictator, so I don’t really understand why people are spending all these brain spells speculating about something that is a given. Let me reiterate. Trump is already a dictator. Right now, he is the dictator ruling over the Republican party and his base. The question is not whether Trump is a dictator. The question is whether he will be elected to rule over the entire country.
According to Merriam-Webster the definition of ‘dictator’ is:
- a
a person granted absolute emergency power.
especially, history: one appointed by the senate (see SENATE sense 1b) of ancient Rome.
b
: one holding complete autocratic control: a person with unlimited governmental power.
c
: one ruling in an absolute (see ABSOLUTE sense 2) and often oppressive way.
The first definition is not really relevant to the current Republican party but Trump and some of his supporters have said that he will use the powers granted under the Insurrection Act to deploy the US military domestically.
However, definitions ‘b’ and ‘c’ are absolutely accurate descriptions of how Trump ‘runs’ the Republican party. He is absolutely a dictator over the Republican party. Most people except for Chris Christie, Liz Cheney, and Adam Kinzinger are afraid of Trump. They refuse to call him out and hold him accountable. If this is not the hallmark of a dictator, I don’t know what is.
During Trump’s first term, he didn’t really understand the levers of government and how things work. In addition, he had at least some people around him who worked to keep the guardrails of democracy in place. However, the Republicans’ failure to convict Trump twice in his impeachment trials, their continued support of his ‘Big Lie,’ and their unwavering support regardless of what crime he commits have created a ‘FrankenTrump’ and unleashed him on the world.
Like I said, the question is not whether Trump is a dictator, the question is whether the American electorate will elect a dictatorial FrankenTrump that has been created, supported, and nurtured by the Republican party. If that happens, the story of American democracy will surely not have a happy ending.
