Former President Trump’s comment during a Fox News town hall about being a dictator “only on day one” has sparked controversy.
“They want to call you a dictator. … I want to be very, very clear on this,” Hannity said.
“To be clear, do you in any way have any plans whatsoever, if re-elected president, to abuse power, to break the law, to use the government to go after people –” (Trending: Hunter Biden Indicted on 9 New Criminal Charges)
CNN guest Lee Carter called out the network for deceptively portraying comments made during the Fox News town hall, noting it's being portrayed "out of context." pic.twitter.com/vwFhGdNIoR
— AnalyzingAmerica (@AnalyzAmerica) December 10, 2023
“You mean like they’re using right now,” Trump cut in.
“In the history of our country, what’s happened to us, again, has never happened before, over nonsense, over nothing, made-up charges,” he added.
“Under no circumstances — you are promising America tonight — you would never abuse power as retribution against anybody?” Hannity asked.
“Except for day one,” Trump said.
“Meaning?” Hannity questioned.
“I want to close the border and I want to drill, drill, drill,” Trump said.
“That’s not retribution,” Hannity pressed.
“I love this guy,” Trump said.
“He says, ‘You’re not going to 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.’”
“That sounds to me that you’re going back to the policies when you were president,” Hannity added.
“That’s exactly right,” Trump said, laughing.
Despite a guest pointing out selective editing of the clip, CNN’s “New Day” hosts insisted it accurately represented Trump’s statement.
Republican strategist Lee Carter highlighted the lack of context and suggested that Trump’s supporters wouldn’t interpret his words as a declaration of being a dictator.
“Donald Trump, I think, made clear on his remarks about ‘I’d only be a dictator on day one’ exactly what President Biden is talking about in terms of preserving democracy,” CNN’s Poppy Harlow said.
“Well, to be fair, that soundbite, out of context, is terrifying, but when you hear what he was trying to say overall, he was kind of, sort of, like, as some communicators do, leaning into criticism and say, ‘I’ll only be a dictator in as much as I’m going to close the borders and I’m going to start drilling for oil again, after that, no, I promise you I’m not going to do anything,’” Republican strategist Lee Carter said.
“Are you saying people shouldn’t believe him?” Harlow asked. “Look at the policies he’s laid out.”
“Well, what I’m saying is I don’t think that what he meant to say was, ‘I am really going to be a dictator in that moment,’” Carter said.
“That’s not what he was saying. He was saying, ‘I’m going to be a dictator on day one under these two terms.’”
“And I think the American people, and certainly his supporters, aren’t going to hear him as saying, ‘I was going to be a dictator.’ This is very much like in 2016, everybody said he’s an outsider, he’s got no experience, and he’s like, ‘Yeah, I’m an outsider with no experience. I’m gonna blow things up in D.C.’ He’s got that kind of a way about him –“
“And he did,” Harlow interjected.
“He did,” Carter said. “And that’s what people like about him, by the way.”
The discussion revealed differing interpretations of Trump’s remarks and raised questions about media portrayal of political figures.
This morning CNN guest Lee Carter called out the network for deceptively portraying @realDonaldTrump comments made during the Fox News town hall, noting it's being portrayed "out of context."
Read more here: https://t.co/HEJuw3EiJo@DailyCaller pic.twitter.com/UZXZvoIv4e
— Brianna Lyman (@briannalyman2) December 6, 2023
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