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Seems to me many serious defenders of Trump privately believe there are enough checks and balances to keep wannabe dictators from taking power; witness January 6th. They would make the case that it's worth having a wannabe dictator as president in this case because Trump is great and it's not that much of a risk. Plus they think everyone wants to be a dictator, and that Trump is just less secretive about it, and so no more dangerous than anyone else, maybe less.
If anyone here (Trump fans and detractors alike) believes Trump wouldn't become a dictator given the chance, I'd be fascinated to hear from them.
Trump didn't try to postpone, cancel, or otherwise take control preceding the 2020 election. There was an opening for it - a historic pandemic that lead to the erosion of many other liberties. If there was ever a time when someone could have tried to push boundaries like that, it was then. He posted some things on Twitter about worrying that it would be insecure. But he didn't direct the Federal Lawfare forces to push the issue.
I also think that outstaying the 2 term-welcome is such a taboo in American's minds, that it is unthinkable for anyone to break it. Few Trump supporters want him to be in office longer than two terms, and Trump would see it's unpopular and so he won't do it.
If that counts too much towards, "Trump would be a dictator if given the chance (but his own base won't give him the chance.)" then I think that the bar is set in a position that would trip most politicians. If there wasn't an Amendment forbidding three terms, Obama probably would have run again. FDR actually did run again, defying convention. The Executive has expanded in power with every administration for decades. 90% of presidents have the dictator spirit within them. We were only graced with 1 George Washington in our nation's history.
Don’t forget Calvin Coolidge, one of the best presidents we’ve ever had.
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Don't quite know about this. You can't imagine what specific pathway and pressure dams could potentially be created in order for a cunning enough president to extend a second term beyond the normal timeframe. It could be a movement to postpone the election until voting mechanisms have been properly safeguarded, or for an as-yet unknown emergency (a form of low level civil war for example) that supposedly makes holding an election at a given moment too dangerous. Putin got around term limits by installing a puppet for a term and then changing the rules. Trump could do the same and become the true POTUS with Don Jr or someone as the nominal candidate.
I do agree with you that most politicians share the dictator spirit. But I think the norm of keeping it strictly secret, which Trump often doesn't abide by, is incredibly important to proper functioning democracy.
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