Trump ‘Dictator’ Talk Turns ‘Reality on Its Head’: Heritage Presidential Transition Project Director

Former president and his political allies have pushed back on the “dictator” label and have accused his political opponents of being the real authoritarians.

Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump speaks at a commit to caucus campaign event at the Whiskey River bar in Ankeny, Iowa, on Dec. 2, 2023. Scott Olson/Getty Images

Paul Dans, the director of the Heritage Foundations 2025 Presidential Transition Project, has pushed back on a trending media narrative that former President Donald Trump could behave like a dictator if he returns to the White House in 2024.

Several media commentators and contributors—including those writing for the Washington Post, Politico, and the Philadelphia Inquirer—have repeatedly referred to the former president in authoritarian terms and accused him of pursuing a dictatorial strategy going forward.