Former US President Donald Trump set off a media frenzy late Tuesday after he remarked during an interview that he would not be a dictator upon his return to the Oval Office if he manages to be reelected in 2024 - “except for day one."
The comments came during the former commander-in-chief's participation in a town hall event with Fox News' Sean Hannity that touched on a variety of topics, including the Iowa caucus in January, the cognitive state of US President Joe Biden and US foreign policy.
“You are promising America tonight you would never abuse power as retribution against anybody?” Hannity asked during the taped town hall, to which Trump responded by saying: “Except for day one."
Momentarily stunned, Hannity pressed Trump before the one-time president noted he sought to "close the border" and "drill, drill, drill," presumably referring to the US-Mexico border and his plans to expand oil drilling.
The town hall also saw Hannity ask Trump whether he would abuse his powers once returning to office to “go after people,” a question the former president failed to deny.
“You mean like they’re using right now?” Trump asked rhetorically, likely in reference to the various legal cases that he's since shot down as being part of a politically-motivated effort to block his reelection effort in the upcoming election.
6 December 2023, 21:36 GMT
The former president further described the dozens of criminal charges filed against him since his departure from the White House as “nonsense” and “made up,” proceeding to compare his charges to the American gangster Al Capone, who he said was indicted once whereas he was indicted four times.
Following Trump’s interview with Hannity, the Biden campaign jumped on the former president’s “dictator” comment and weaponized his public affairs nightmare against him - posting his comments to a campaign email, as well as a clip to X.
"Donald Trump has been telling us exactly what he will do if he's reelected and tonight he said he will be a dictator on day one. Americans should believe him," Biden campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez said.
During the interview, Trump told a 25-year-old anecdote about former US Senator Ted Kennedy calling Biden the “dumbest” person in the Senate. Trump also claimed that Biden "doesn't know he is alive" in reference to the Republican talking point that Biden is too old for the presidency, and that his cognitive health is declining.
Trump’s interview in Iowa takes place just 40 days before the first Republican primary contest of the season. Trump still leads largely in the polls with 61% of Republican primary voters choosing him as their frontrunner. The former president also continues to skip out on debating his fellow GOP candidates, including Wednesday’s fourth debate in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.