Former U.S. President Donald Trump may have dictatorial intent in running for re-election. But does he have the competence and spine to rise to that level? File Photo by Tannen Maury/UPI | License Photo
Perhaps the most hotly contested political question in America is whether Donald Trump will become a dictator if elected president next November.
With the approach of Christmas, instead of sugar plums dancing in the heads not only of the left but Republicans such as Liz Cheney, as well, visions of sieg heil, jackboots and Trumpmania are keeping otherwise sane people wide awake at night. Advertisement
After all, did not Trump promise on Fox’s Sean Hannity show that he will be a dictator at least for one day?
Given the nature of Trump’s personality and some of the more ludicrous statements he has made about embarking on a reign of revenge and retribution, these fears are easily justified.
Trump has called for “weaponizing” the Department of Justice against his enemies and those who oppose him and imposing the death penalty on the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley, as well as savagely attacking many of his top staff, including former Attorney General William Barr, Secretary of Defense Mark Esper and Chief of Staff Gen. John Kelly. Advertisement
Surely, these tirades suggest someone who is severely off-balance or not in full control of their faculties. Or, as many who see Trump as a would-be dictator, this is clear evidence of things to come if he were ever to reoccupy the White House. Yet, is it possible, given all the checks and balances in place, that a Hitler or Stalin wannabe could ever take control of the United States?
Consider a third and even more chilling prospect. Trump may have dictatorial intent. But does he have the competence and spine to rise to that level?
In business, Trump made a small fortune from the large one he took from his father. No matter how rich he claims to be, according to Forbes, the some $400 million he reportedly inherited from his father in 1999, if invested in an index fund, would have made Trump some half-billion dollars wealthier than he is today.
Trump is a bully who when confronted backs down. That makes him less likely to become a dictator and much more likely to be a disruptor, who will do far more damage to the nation as a whole. Left unchecked and with the powers granted in the Constitution, consider how dangerous Trump’s disruption could be. Advertisement
In foreign policy, he has shown his colors. He flirted with Vladimir Putin, taking his word over that of U.S. intelligence and law enforcement officials on Russian intervention in U.S. elections. He fell “in love” with Kim Jong Un, leading to a catastrophic summit in which North Korea’s supreme leader rejected Trump’s proposal for a marriage of convenience in which Pyongyang would abandon its nuclear weapons in exchange for promises of U.S. economic aid.
He called NATO obsolete and has threatened to withdraw from the alliance that has guaranteed the stability of the West and much of the rest of the world for 75 years. He has threatened Mexico and still is waiting for payment for the wall he was unable to build. And the chances that he would desert Ukraine and Taiwan are large enough to be taken seriously.
To compound the dangers of disruption, who would work in a Trump administration? Certainly not the best, brightest or those with a shred of integrity would seek appointments. Given Trump’s belligerent leadership style, he would only want those who would be unquestioning of his orders and only seek to gain his approval. How would that work? It would not.
Running a government with over 3 million employees and 535 members of Congress is a Sisyphean labor. Were Trump to attempt to impose some form of dictatorial rule on the country, even with a Republican majority in Congress, the first branch of government would make that impossible. Advertisement
Firstly, should Republicans win majorities in both houses, minority rule can deadlock Congress. As Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., successfully halted the confirmation process of 400 flag and general officers for a substantial period, consider that in a larger sense.
Congress can refuse to move on any laws it deems inappropriate, confirm appointees or approve spending. Even a minority could hold hearings on a president who attempted to ride roughshod over the Constitution, making life miserable for the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue. And it would be fantasy to think that even the conservative media would not rally against a president out of control.
The result would be chaos, disrupting virtually every aspect of the nation. The economy would be affected dramatically in the negative. And does no one recall a bit of history of what happened when the British tried to impose taxes on tea?
No, the danger of a Trump presidency is not that he could or would be a dictator. It would be far worse as Trump the disruptor.
Harlan Ullman is UPI’s Arnaud de Borchgrave Distinguished Columnist, a senior adviser at Washington’s Atlantic Council, the prime author of “shock and awe” and author of “The Fifth Horseman and the New MAD: How Massive Attacks of Disruption Became the Looming Existential Danger to a Divided Nation and the World at Large.” Follow him @harlankullman. The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author. Advertisement
