When, in a Fox News town hall, Trump promised not to be a “dictator” except on “day one,” he was responding to a softball lobbed by the moderator, Sean Hannity: “You would never abuse power as retribution against anybody?” Hannity had apparently been tasked with eliciting a one-liner that could be used to position the former president as a stark contrast to Biden, who the Trump campaign falsely claims is behind Trump’s four indictments.
In a sense, Hannity succeeded – though not in the way he had hoped. Trump’s promise of a one-day dictatorship seemed to ruffle him. As well it should. Despite his propensity to lie, Trump is rarely less than emotionally candid.
Even if Trump were a dictator for a day, he would be able to erode the institutional checks on his power and the prospect of legal checks on his future actions. The Supreme Court, led by Chief Justice John Roberts, has already identified in the US Constitution an implied presidential authority to fire almost all executive officials, including the attorney general, the inspectors general of various departments, civil-rights and anti-fraud ombudsman, and even the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In their place, the president can appoint temporary officials, who could be selected on the basis of loyalty, not credentials.
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