After weeks of authoritarian threats to crush protests with the military, cancel elections, conquer foreign countries, and send masked agents door-to-door to round up anyone who can't prove their citizenship, Trump on Wednesday told an already uneasy room full of world leaders that "sometimes you need a dictator."

The offhanded comment came in the middle of a rambling speech at the reception dinner for the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Wednesday, in which Trump congratulated himself on a different rambling speech he'd given earlier that day at the summit.

“We had a good speech, we got great reviews. I can’t believe it, we got good reviews on that speech,” Trump said of the widely mocked address in which he continued to demand the US take over Greenland (which he repeatedly referred to as "Iceland") and made new tariff threats against Canada and Europe if they resist the annexation.

“Usually they say ‘he’s a horrible dictator-type person,’ I’m a dictator,” Trump continued. “But sometimes you need a dictator! But they didn’t say that in this case... It’s all based on common sense, it’s not conservative or liberal, or anything else.”

— (@)

At least twice over the past month, Trump has suggested that the 2026 midterm elections should be canceled, since his party is likely to lose.

The first time he brought up the idea, on the five-year anniversary of the January 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection, he seemed to back off the idea for fear of being called a dictator by his detractors: "I won’t say cancel the election; they should cancel the election, because the fake news would say: ‘He wants the elections canceled. He’s a dictator.’ They always call me a dictator.”

But if being called a dictator was the only thing holding him back from attempting to suspend democracy, he no longer appears to care.

As political commentator Charlotte Clymer wrote on social media, "Trump is now openly referring to himself as a dictator" in front of the whole world.

From Common Dreams via This RSS Feed.

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[–] VILenin@hexbear.net 60 points 3 days ago (2 children)

“So during war, you can’t have elections?” Trump said with a smile. “So let me just say, three and a half years from now— so you mean if we happen to be in a war with somebody, no more elections? Oh, that’s good.”

galaxy-brain Trump wants war over Greenland as a pretext to cancel elections?

Don't even know why bothers with pretext. The number of people who support vs. oppose his decision is going to remain exactly the same regardless if there's a war with anybody or not. If he just did it, what are liberals going to do? Sue him again?

[–] jackmaoist@hexbear.net 37 points 3 days ago (2 children)

He's not ready for the 7 second European capitulation ruining his plans.

[–] GenderIsOpSec@hexbear.net 19 points 3 days ago

You've heard of the 7 hour war, now get ready for the 7 second capitulation.

[–] VILenin@hexbear.net 13 points 3 days ago

War of the Sternly Worded Letters

[–] miz@hexbear.net 7 points 2 days ago

zelensky-pain

[–] Zuzak@hexbear.net 48 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Cancelling elections seems like the sort of thing you don't talk about doing. As the rule goes, "Don't talk about the coup in public, do it day one or just shut the fuck up about it until you do."

What he's doing is making people freak out, which 1) makes them look alarmist when the elections happen, and 2) shifts the goalposts to that instead of all the fash shit he's actually doing. "See, you were wrong, we're having elections so that means Trump's not a dictator like you said."

[–] redbear@lemmygrad.ml 1 points 2 days ago

It's been his strategy since day one and it's crystal clear

[–] LeninWeave@hexbear.net 46 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (1 children)

Counting down to the LIB response...

3...

2...

1...

What are, untermenschen from BAD COUNTRY?

[–] QinShiHuangsShlong@hexbear.net 17 points 3 days ago

Amerikkkan thingss happening Amerikkkanly in Amerikkka.

[–] MohammedTheCommunistPalestinian@hexbear.net 31 points 3 days ago (2 children)

he can just steal it like bush did ,why even bother cancelling

[–] Chapo_is_Red@hexbear.net 17 points 3 days ago (2 children)

Same could be said for Greenland's natural resources. I'm sure American firms could get great access without needing to literally own the island

[–] MohammedTheCommunistPalestinian@hexbear.net 10 points 3 days ago (1 children)

I can understand the Greenland thing more tbh

yes it's stupid but he wants to show direct hard power

cancelling elections doesn't win you anything

[–] VILenin@hexbear.net 1 points 2 days ago

I think Trump just looked at a map, saw an island that looked big, and went "I want", which is why he keeps confusing it with Iceland

[–] sefra1@lemmy.zip 2 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Most likely Greenland has environmental and cultural protections that don't exist on the united states.

Were Greenland actually be occupied by the united states, it would just have all those little houses demolished to build mines, oil rigs and the requited factories to transform the products.

[–] Chapo_is_Red@hexbear.net 1 points 2 days ago

Great point, comrade

[–] Tabitha@hexbear.net 12 points 3 days ago (1 children)

TBH I just assume he did steal it the last 3 times, just one of them he didn't steal enough. No preference on if he did that the tinfoil hat way or the boring way.

[–] RamenJunkie@midwest.social 3 points 2 days ago

Yeah, the Biden one had record turn out. I am convinced they had it rigged, and told him its in the bag and no way, we got this, and thats why he just could NOT let go of the idea that he lost. They rigged it, and there was so much actual backlash, it overcame the rigging.

They left no chances in 2024. I still wonder WTF was going on with the places thst had bomb threat evacuations. Did someone stay behind to watch the machines? Did they roll them outside and guard them? Did they just get left in an empty room alone?

[–] WokePalpatine@hexbear.net 50 points 3 days ago (1 children)

He's 100% cancelling the elections or they're gunna' have ICE, etc. stand outside the voting booths with a new identification card that people need to vote and have it filter out 50% of the population or something via onerous documentation or something.

[–] nasezero@hexbear.net 40 points 3 days ago

Exactly, the midterms are already dead, people just haven't realized/accepted it yet. You can't have even the thin facade of liberal democracy when fucking gestapo are disappearing and torturing people extremely openly.

But he'll also just cancel/ignore them anyways, most likely.

[–] GoodGuyWithACat@hexbear.net 41 points 3 days ago

Trump knows his Roman history well. Truly inspired that he will take the place of Cincinnatus to guide the republic through a crisis, then resign his dictatorship to retire in peace. Such is his love for democracy.

[–] TreadOnMe@hexbear.net 37 points 3 days ago

Lol, I will give it to the liberals if he actually cancels elections, I didn't think they were actually that weak lol.

[–] EstraDoll@hexbear.net 37 points 3 days ago

First as a tragedy, and sometimes you need a dictator to finish the rest of that saying 🙄

[–] miz@hexbear.net 32 points 3 days ago

amerikkka-clap

[–] rootsbreadandmakka@hexbear.net 27 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (2 children)

So, as I understand it, it’d be really difficult to actually cancel elections since they’re run down to the county level. “The election” is essentially 50 elections full of a varying number of sub-elections. And of course state and local elections which have nothing to do with the federal govt. I’m no election expert but that’s the election as I understand it. So the president doesn’t really say the election is happening or not happening, it’s really the county.

The two things he could do I guess are have the military go in to enforce his decision or refuse to recognize the elections. I have no idea how refusing to recognize the election would work since it’s not trump but the reps/senators that are being elected. Maybe it’d look like Mike Johnson refusing to swear anybody in, which he did for a while with that rep from Arizona. This probably wouldn’t work for state and local elections though.

The military thing is interesting. I think Trump’s personal gestapo at this point is ice, and I doubt there are enough people in ice to shut down the election in every county, or even just the ones that are competitive. Supposedly the military generals were balking at trumps threats to invade Greenland so they don’t seem to have become his personal military just yet but idk maybe American generals are just that cowed, I don’t have much faith in them. But there’s also the fact that more than even the constitution elections are at the very heart of the American identity. Anyway my point is that actually canceling elections would likely be much more difficult and complex than I think trump has the patience for. You’d also be depending on the complete loyalty of a multitude of individuals far from your inner circle in a way that goes against their American civic religion.

[–] elpaso@hexbear.net 12 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (1 children)

The military thing is interesting. I think Trump’s personal gestapo at this point is ice, and I doubt there are enough people in ice to shut down the election in every county, or even just the ones that are competitive.

He just needs to suppress the vote in urban areas in swing states. I'd be shitting myself in Atlanta or Philly.

It's doable.

[–] rootsbreadandmakka@hexbear.net 8 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Idk most urban areas are already blue so it’d be sort of useless. He’d need to worry about those places where a red congressperson was in danger of being replaced by a blue person. Areas that are extremely moderate but lean Republican.

[–] elpaso@hexbear.net 1 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

Okay I misunderstood you, I thought you were talking about the presidential election, not midterms.

That being said, there are very few competitive districts due to gerrymandering. I haven't done electoral analysis in a while (I have given up on US electoralism) but it looks like only 18 house seats are competitive. . Maybe a few lean D's as well to keep the house.

Senate would be a bit more of a challenge. The question I think is if they can get enough manpower and use enough violence to sway the 2026 midterms. I think they can, I think this will be a very violent election.

[–] dil@hexbear.net 3 points 2 days ago (1 children)

I doubt there are enough people in ice to shut down the election in every county

So far

[–] rootsbreadandmakka@hexbear.net 1 points 2 days ago

Yeah true I know they are trying to increase numbers

[–] Lemmygradwontallowme@hexbear.net 28 points 3 days ago

Well, makes sense, like the Romans, now Seppo Yanks.

[–] 30_to_50_Feral_PAWGs@hexbear.net 23 points 3 days ago (1 children)

As political commentator Charlotte Clymer wrote on social media, "Trump is now openly referring to himself as a dictator" in front of the whole world.

heartbreaking

[–] Muinteoir_Saoirse@hexbear.net 6 points 2 days ago

political ~~commentator~~ clout-chaser ~~Charlotte~~ Social Clymer