US President Joe Biden has been working
to guard against the “unprecedented threats” facing American democracy, a White
House official said on Monday, responding to Donald Trump’s comments that he
wanted to be a “dictator for one day” if elected to a second term.
During a speech on Saturday, Trump
repeated a statement he made during a Fox News town hall last week that he did
not intend to become a dictator if he wins the presidency again except “on day
one”.
“I said I want to be a dictator for one
day,” Trump told the New York Young Republican Club annual gala. “And you know
why I wanted to be a dictator? Because I want a wall, right? I want a wall and
I want to drill, drill, drill.”
His comments were nearly identical to
those he made in the Fox town hall and prompted chants of “Build the Wall” from
the gala crowd.
When asked about Trump’s comments, White
House spokesman Andrew Bates said Biden “has been working to protect American
democracy and to unite people of all political views against these unprecedented
threats” without mentioning Trump by name.
Trump, the Republican frontrunner headed
for a likely election re-match with Biden in 2024, has frequently promised “retribution”
against political opponents if he gains power again. He has also called for the
“termination” of parts of the Constitution over his false claims that his loss
to Biden in the 2020 election was due to massive voter fraud.
“And I want to say it is wrong to
suspend the Constitution and abuse federal power to persecute critics and trample
the First Amendment,” Bates added while speaking on Air Force One as Biden flew
to Philadelphia.
Reuters
