Donald Trump maintains that if he gets into the Oval Office and wins the 2024 election, he won't be an absolute ruler.
While speaking to Fox News anchor Maria Bartiromo in an interview that aired on Sunday, February 4, she confronted him about his prior comments he made while speaking with Sean Hannity.
"And you made a comment recently that you'd be a dictator for day one," Bartiromo said. "And you said that you would close the border and drill, drill, drill."
"Well, I think, you know, it was with Sean Hannity, and we were having fun," Trump replied. "And I said, I'm going to be a dictator because he asked me, are you really going to be a dictator? I said, absolutely. I'm going to be a dictator for one day."
"It's very simple," he added. "I'm going to close the border, and we're going to drill, baby, drill. That's all. And then, after that, I'm not going to be a dictator. Now, that was said in jest."
As OK! previously reported, in December 2023, Trump, 77, made a scary promise during a town hall with Hannity.
“Under no circumstances, you are promising America tonight, you would never abuse power as retribution against anybody?” the TV personality asked the businessman, to which he replied he would only be a "dictator" on "day one" of being in the White House if he wins the 2024 election.
Hannity tried to ask Trump more questions about his leadership tactics.
“I want to close the border and I want to drill, drill, drill," he replied, but Hannity pointed out: "That's not retribution."
Trump then chimed in, adding, “We love this guy. He says, ‘You’re not gonna be a dictator, are you?’ I said, ‘No, no, no, other than day one.’ We’re closing the border and we’re drilling, drilling, drilling. After that, I’m not a dictator, ok?”
Hannity responded, “That sounds to me like you’re going back to the policies when you were president.”
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After the remarks went viral, Trump attempted to set the record straight about what he really meant.
"Fake News writer Peter 'Obama' Baker of the Failing New York Times (READERSHIP & SUBSCRIPTIONS WAY DOWN FROM THE GOOD OL’ TRUMP YEARS!), whose claim to fame is that, 'he will never write anything good about the GREAT job President Trump did,' just wrote, in a major, front page story, that I want to be a Dictator, but doesn’t mention it was said in a joking manner, and completed with 'but only for a day, because I’m going to close the Border, and DRILL, DRILL, DRILL,' a much different attitude and meaning!" he wrote about White House correspondent Peter Baker and the newspaper, as they reportedly didn't accurate report on his conversation with Sean Hannity.
