The criticism of President Trump for being dictatorial is not without any basis – but it is not a strong argument. Ben Shapiro takes it apart in this video. But it is true that were it not for the checks and balances of the system of the United States government, this Executive Branch would probably be doing many more things that would scare the American people and the people in the rest of the world.
If there has been any American President that has been dictatorial over the last century, it was probably FDR. But in all fairness, he was extremely popular and knew how to play the American people like a fiddle. Nobody else was ever elected four times to the Presidency.
During the depression of the 1930’s, many in the United States were looking for a strong President who would exercise an activist government approach to get them out of their wretched state. FDR is often credited with bringing the United States off of the cliff and towards prosperity at the end of World War II. Whether or not he should be given that much credit is debatable. But he was able to make sweeping changes more easily than today because of the lack of effective communication before the advent of television. Critics had a hard time reaching millions. The most effective mode of communication was radio.
In today’s day and age, nobody can hide information from the public for very long. The truth will find it’s way out – in a matter of hours. So even if President Trump decides to bring down dictators in South America and take over Greenland, the details will be known by hundreds of millions of people within hours and vigorously debated. There is not enough time to spin and control public opinion before everybody has already heard the different angles on every topic and pressure builds.
Even Joe Biden’s presidency, which was basically conspiratorial in nature in terms of hiding Joe Biden’s true health challenges, did not really succeed in hiding the truth. In 2020, Biden was still hanging on and enough people were willing to take the chance. But by 2024, he was clearly unfit to run.
Donald Trump may indeed have dictatorial tendencies like many other Presidents. But the power of Congress, the Judiciary, and the thousands of political pundits who now have the airwaves and the ability to reach hundreds of millions of people, all keep any president from getting too out of control.