President Donald J. Trump told his Cabinet on August 26 that many Americans might prefer a dictator if it meant stopping crime. Speaking in the Cabinet Room for over three hours, he said, “People say, ‘If that’s the case, I’d rather have a dictator,’” adding that “the line is that I’m a dictator, but I stop crime.”
His approval ratings remain low, and his administration is pushing a tough-on-crime message rather than funding proven violence prevention programs. Officials appear intent on stoking public fear of crime over concerns like rising grocery costs or school safety.
Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller told Fox News’s Sean Hannity that Democrats “defend hardened criminals, gangbangers, and illegal alien killers and terrorists.” Miller called the Democratic Party a “domestic extremist organization” devoted to criminals, aiming to rally Republicans behind Trump’s law-and-order stance.
Trump also pressed Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker to request federal troops for Chicago. In the Oval Office, he complained that Pritzker had not asked for help, later calling him “an incompetent Governor who should call me for HELP” on social media. Yet National Guard troops spent the day picking up trash and working on “beautification and restoration” projects in Washington, D.C.
On economic policy, Trump announced on social media that he was firing Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook “for cause,” citing unproven mortgage allegations from Federal Housing Finance Agency head William Pulte. Cook, the first Black woman on the Fed board, said the president had no legal authority to oust her and vowed to continue her duties.
Trump has long urged Fed Chair Jerome Powell to lower interest rates to boost growth, even musing about taking direct control of the central bank. Nobel laureate Paul Krugman warned that removing Cook would mirror Turkey’s authoritarian meddling, where political interference sent inflation soaring above 80 percent. He called such a move “disastrous” for the Fed’s independence and federal professionalism.
The administration’s aggressive tactics extend to immigration enforcement. Kilmar Abrego Garcia—an undocumented man wrongfully deported to El Salvador in March—was returned to the U.S. after a court order. He faced fresh arrest at an ICE check-in on August 25 despite no criminal convictions. His lawyers say prosecutors offered leniency in Costa Rica if he pleaded guilty, or threatened deportation to Uganda otherwise. A judge barred his removal pending further review, while DHS taunted him on social media as “Uganda Man.”
Meanwhile, recent state elections signal potential voter backlash. Democrat Catelin Drey won a special election in Iowa by over 10 percent, flipping a seat Trump carried by 11.5 points in 2024. In Georgia’s deep-red district, Democrat Debra Shigley led a seven-way state Senate contest with 40 percent, forcing a September runoff.
Trump’s embrace of authoritarian imagery, his assault on independent institutions, and his emphasis on crime reflect a broader strategy to shift public attention and shore up support. Whether these tactics can overcome economic pressures and political headwinds remains to be seen.
