Donald Trump's Getting Exactly What He Wants

Former President Donald Trump is getting exactly what he wants from President Joe Biden and the Democrats.

Trump drew controversy after telling Fox News' Sean Hannity on Tuesday night that he would not be a dictator "except for day one," but the former president's remarks were likely bait for Biden's re-election campaign, Republican strategist Matt Klink told Newsweek.

"Donald Trump is very calculated in making statements, particularly those designed to rile up Joe Biden and Democrats," Klink said.

Within an hour of Trump's comments, Biden's Campaign Manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez put out a statement saying that "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." The campaign also quickly shared the clip of Trump online, using the former president's own words to raise alarm about what could happen to the U.S. under a second Trump term, as well as analyst reactions that expressed similar concerns.

Newsweek reached out to the White House via email for comment.

During Tuesday's town hall, Hannity asked Trump if he would ever "abuse power as retribution against anybody," to which the Republican frontrunner said, "except for day one."

"I want to close the border and I want to drill, drill, drill," Trump said. "Other than that, I am not a dictator."

Responding to questions about those comments, congressional Republicans seemed unfazed, with GOP Senator Kevin Cramer laughing off Trump's words during his appearance on Fox Business Wednesday morning and Republican Representative Tim Burchett chalking it up to "campaign talk."

"That's what you say during elections," Burchett told CNN's Phil Mattingly when asked about the former president's comments. "Everybody gets riled up and they write their checks and they run to the polls and vote for you, but the reality is that this is campaign talk and that's generally what it is."

Klink said Trump's statements will likely motivate his supporters and other Republican voters who want to ensure that Biden is a one-term president. He added that the comments would be especially enticing for Biden to jump on given his recent showing among young voters.

"Democrats need statements like Trump's to hopefully get the base, particularly young voters, engaged and excited about the 2024 election," Klink said. "At present, a Biden-Trump race isn't one that excites most Democrats in large part because of the president's age and his visible, declining mental state."

Young voters, who have been historically Democratic-leaning in presidential elections and who were credited with helping Biden with his 2020 victory, have been increasingly unimpressed by the president's performance.

A Harvard poll released Tuesday showed Biden losing ground with the young voters as his lead over Trump dropped to 15 points from the 24-point advantage he held with the cohort in 2020. The survey also showed young voter enthusiasm plummeting. The share of 18 to 29-year-olds who said they are "definitely" planning on voting in the next presidential election fell eight percentage points from the fall of 2019.

Trump told Hannity during the town hall that he did not expect Biden to become the Democratic nominee in 2024, saying, "I personally don't think he makes it physically."

"Mentally I would say he's possibly equally as bad and maybe worse," Trump, who is 77, said of Biden, who turned 81 last month.