White House warns of democracy threat after Trump repeats dictator remark

U.S. President Joe Biden has been working to guard against the “unprecedented threats” facing American democracy, a White House official said on Monday, responding to Donald Trump’s comments that he wanted to be a “dictator for one day” if elected to a second term.

During a speech on Saturday, Trump repeated a statement he made during a Fox News town hall last week that he did not intend to become a dictator if he wins the presidency again except “on day one”.”I said I want to be a dictator for one day,” Trump told the New York Young Republican Club annual gala. “And you know why I wanted to be a dictator? Because I want a wall, right? I want a wall and I want to drill, drill, drill.”His comments were nearly identical to those he made in the Fox town hall and prompted chants of “Build the Wall” from the gala crowd.When asked about Trump’s comments, White House spokesman Andrew Bates said Biden “has been working to protect American democracy and to unite people of all political views against these unprecedented threats” without mentioning Trump by name.

via Reuters