Recently, President Trump claimed he was not a dictator but said many Americans would like him to be. His statement about people wanting a dictatorship is shocking. However, unlike the citizens of other nations that have recently transformed from dictatorships to democracies, Americans have no memory of a dictatorship and do not understand the consequences of desiring one. It is time to change that.
In the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson enumerated the acts of King George III’s “absolute tyranny over these states” and declared him “unfit to be the ruler of a free people.” But that was nearly 250 years ago. No living American remembers a dictatorship in this country. Yet, we can learn from others.
Brazil experienced a 20-year dictatorship until the early 1980s. That is no distant memory for millions of Brazilians who lived under a military rule that “disappeared” its opponents, muzzled the press and stripped citizens of freedom of speech. As a consequence, when a group allegedly led by former President Jair Bolsonaro carried out an attempted coup to overturn the 2022 presidential election, the federal police charged Bolsonaro and his supporters. A majority on Brazil’s Supreme Court voted to convict Bolsonaro last week.
Chile also endured a 17-year dictatorship under Gen. Augusto Pinochet. An estimated 3,000 Chileans were killed, many others were tortured, political parties were banned and trade unions prohibited. Only after years of demonstrations, international pressure, the rejection of a plebiscite designed to maintain Pinochet’s power, and a failed coup attempt did Pinochet finally relinquish power in 1990.
More recently, last year South Korea’s president declared martial law. Like Brazil and Chile, South Korea had a long history of military rule from the early 1960s to the late 1980s that mirrored Chile and Brazil in the suppression of dissent and denial of human rights. This new martial law angered Koreans. The National Assembly nullified the declaration the same day and impeached the president ten days later. Earlier this year, he was formally removed from office and is now under arrest for plotting an insurrection against the National Assembly.
The story is quite different in the United States. When Donald Trump caused an insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021, leading to a mob to invading the Capitol building, he was impeached but not convicted. And when he ran for reelection, he won. Then, he pardoned nearly all Jan. 6 attack defendants. And the vast majority of Republicans approved the pardons. As well, most Republicans today approve of what Trump is doing now with government program cuts, even though the administration has bypassed Congress — the institution responsible for determining government spending. They also do not have a problem with deportations, even though the administration has flaunted some court rulings intended to check illegal actions by immigration officials.
Why are so many Americans so quick to discard the rule of law, established processes of government, and institutions that protect rights in favor of power to the president? One explanation is our unfamiliarity with the ills of a dictatorship. Americans may conclude a dictator would not be allowed here. And Trump saying he is not a dictator may reassure them, although the evidence says otherwise. Or others may not worry about the effects of a dictatorship under Donald Trump because they view him as a temporary dictator who will “right the wrongs” and then leave when that is done.
However, history shows us that dictators relinquish power reluctantly. Trump’s threat to run for yet another term, in violation of the Constitution, is an invitation to his supporters to demand he remain in power after this term. A recent survey found that a majority of Republicans favor Trump running for a third term, despite the Constitutional prohibition. And he will comply with their will. We have already seen him attempt this once.
Opponents to the dictatorial tendencies of the Trump administration should point to the experiences of other nations who endured years of human rights violations, unchecked executive power, and the lack of representation of citizens due to a muzzled or dismissed national legislature. More attention should be paid to Brazil, Chile, South Korea, and a host of other nations who once were democracies but now are dictatorships, such as Nicaragua, Turkey and Russia.
The Declaration of Independence was intended to inform colonial Americans about what George III had done to them and declare the tyranny would not be allowed to continue. The U.S. Constitution, then, established a structure to institutionalize democratic government. Americans need to understand the consequences of discarding it in favor of a dictatorship, regardless of whether they agree with its aims.
Richard Davis is a professor emeritus of political science at BYU.