The Donald Trump Dictator Myth?

"Democracy is on the ballot," President Joe Biden declared in a speech on January 5. The president was alluding to claims from several senior Democrats that a second Donald Trump term could pose an existential threat to American democracy.

Trump himself has denied the allegation, telling Fox News host Sean Hannity in December that he won't be a dictator if returned to the White House, "except on day one."

Newsweek has spoken to several experts in democracy and political processes and found sharply contrasting views on what a Trump victory in November would mean for U.S. democracy. While one political scientist described it as a "uniquely credible threat," another said: "America's institutions are more resilient than many give them credit for."

Trump's representatives have been contacted by email for comment.

Separately, Justin T. Haskins, director of the Socialism Research Center at the Heartland Institute, which describes itself as a think tank promoting "free-market solutions to social and economic problems," disagreed entirely. He argued that "Joe Biden and his allies are conducting a truly unprecedented attack on democracy" as a result of the four criminal cases Trump is currently facing.

Trump has continued to claim the 2020 presidential election was stolen from him by fraud, despite this being repeatedly rejected in court and by independent election experts. On January 6, 2021, hundreds of Trump supporters stormed Congress in a bid to prevent the certification of Joe Biden's election victory, triggering violence in which one person was shot dead and dozens of police officers were injured. Trump is facing charges both federally and in the state of Georgia over allegations he acted illegally in an attempt to overturn the 2020 election outcome. He has pled not guilty to all counts and has alleged the cases against him are politically motivated.

'Sturdy' American Democracy

In an interview with Newsweek, Thomas Gift, who heads the Center on U.S. Politics at University College London, U.K., argued that American democracy is "sturdy" despite what he described as the "challenge" from the Republican frontrunner.

Gift said: "Trump doubtlessly poses a challenge to U.S. democratic norms and processes. His willingness to take a sledgehammer to congressional oversight, to weaponize the legal system against political opponents, and to attack the legitimacy of the free press are just some examples of how far he's willing to go in upending executive constraints. What's more, the fact that Trump does all of this in plain sight, and unapologetically, is unlike any American leader we've seen.

"But that's different than saying that a second Trump term would pose an existential threat that could fundamentally alter the regime's make-up. America's institutions are more resilient than many give them credit for. As we witnessed on January 6, they bent but didn't break. U.S. democracy remains sturdy, even as Trump continues to exploit its fragilities and test the limits of its political antibodies."

'Uniquely Credible Threat'

David Bateman, an associate professor at Cornell University who specializes in political institutions, argued that American democracy has already suffered from erosion and questioned whether future elections would take place in a "free space" if Trump wins in November.

He said: "What makes Trump a uniquely credible threat is that he keeps doing what he says he will do, and what he says he will do is what contemporary authoritarians do. He promised to call into question any election in which he was not the winner. And then he did exactly that, trying to cling to power by pressuring officials across the country. He failed, but nothing about his behavior since then suggests he wouldn't try harder next time. He has said he would exterminate the 'vermin' that are his political opponents.

During a November 2023 rally in New Hampshire, Trump pledged to "root out the communists, Marxists, fascists, and the radical left thugs that live like vermin," though he didn't explicitly call for their extermination.

Bateman said: "The people around [Trump] have been devising—for all to see—plans in which they massively reinforce the power of the executive and then use this to attack political organizing by opponents. His allies are circling the universities looking to squash dissent."

Bateman argued that elections will still be held if Trump secures a second term, but questioned whether they would remain truly free and fair.

He said: "Does that mean if Trump wins in 2024 we won't have elections in 2026 and 2028? No. Would there still be opposition, and opposition victories in other elections? Of course.

"But would subsequent elections happen in a decreasingly free space, where the ability of the opposition to organize has been curtailed through executive harassment? Would the state be used for bluntly political purposes of securing Trump and his allies' standing? And would Trump, if all this didn't prevent a serious election loss, use the power of the state to reverse, possibly even 'legally,' their outcome? That is the real threat, and we know it is a real one because Trump has either already done it or keeps saying that's exactly what he will do."

'Unprecedented Attack on Democracy'

Haskins, who is also editor-in-chief of StoppingSocialism.com, told Newsweek it is Democrats and not Trump who threaten American democracy.

He said: "Joe Biden and other prominent Democrats are claiming that 'democracy is on the ballot' in November if Donald Trump is the Republican nominee. That's true, but not in the way Democrats allege. Joe Biden and his allies are conducting a truly unprecedented attack on democracy, by prosecuting their chief political rival in the midst of a campaign. I cannot imagine an American president engaging in a more overtly tyrannical attempt to undermine the democratic will of the people."

Trump has been charged in four criminal cases: over allegations he orchestrated the payment of hush money to a porn star, mishandled classified documents and broke the law attempting to reverse his 2020 presidential election defeat both nationwide and in the state of Georgia specifically. He has pled not guilty to all charges and has said the cases are part of a "witch hunt" against him.