Donald Trump Sends Ominous Warning About America's 'Fascist' Future

Donald Trump warned that the 2024 presidential election will decide the future of the U.S. and whether it will be a free country or a fascist one—appearing to embrace and reverse the rhetoric used by Democrat Joe Biden against him.

The embattled former president was speaking at the New Young Republican Club's 111th Annual Gala on Saturday night in Manhattan. A clip of the speech was shared on X, formerly known as Twitter, by Grace Chong, a Trump supporter and Steve Bannon's War Room CFO.

"This election will decide whether a generation inherits a fascist country or a free country, whether you have the rule of tyrants or the rule of law," Trump said. "Whether America would be destroyed by crooked Joe Biden and his goons or whether we the people would make America great again."

"We want to liberate America because we're in a country that's in a lot of pain right now, a lot of hurt," Trump said, during his 80-minute long speech. "This campaign is on a righteous crusade to rescue our nation from a very corrupt political class."

The former president, who is facing 91 felony charges in four different indictments, also addressed comments he made last week about wanting to be a "dictator" if elected.

Trump's comment has been interpreted by many observers, including the New York Times, as a declaration of intent from the former president.

"He's saying it out loud," Biden said on Monday at a campaign event in Philadelphia, commenting on the remarks. "He embraces political violence instead of rejecting it. We can't let that happen."

But Trump denied that he meant that literally.

"I didn't say that. I said I want to be a dictator for one day. You know why I wanted to be a dictator? Because I want a wall, and I want to drill, drill, drill," he told the crowd in Manhattan.

Biden, who is likely to face a rematch with Trump next year, has already framed the 2024 race as a battle to defend American democracy, threatened by Trump's movement.

"There's no question that today's Republican Party is driven and intimidated by MAGA Republican extremists," Biden said during a major speech in late September. "Their extreme agenda, if carried out, would fundamentally alter the institutions of American democracy as we know it."

On Monday, Trump said that labeling him as a threat to democracy was the Democrats' "newest hoax."

The former president has also repeatedly claimed that all criminal and civil cases against him are part of a political "witch hunt" aimed at weakening him before next year's election.

Trump is the frontrunner in Republican primary polling. As of December 11, Trump had 60 percent of the vote, according to FiveThirtyEight. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley trailed him with 12.7 percent with 11.4 percent, respectively.