In a stunning display of authoritarian casualness, President Donald Trump told a room full of global business and political leaders on Wednesday that “sometimes you need a dictator,” brushing past weeks of increasingly extreme threats that included canceling elections, deploying the military against protesters, and sending masked agents to police citizens’ paperwork.
The remark came during a meandering reception dinner speech at the World Economic Forum, following what Trump repeatedly described as a wildly successful address earlier in the day — one widely ridiculed for a mix of tariff threats and geopolitical confusion, including his insistence that the U.S. should seize Greenland, which he repeatedly called “Iceland.”
“We had a good speech, we got great reviews. I can’t believe it, we got good reviews on that speech,” Trump gushed. Then he pivoted into a self-assigned dictator persona:
“Usually they say ‘he’s a horrible dictator-type person,’ I’m a dictator. But sometimes you need a dictator! But they didn’t say that in this case… It’s all based on common sense, it’s not conservative or liberal, or anything else.”
The comment prompted a flurry of alarm online. Journalists noted that the remark came on the heels of at least two instances in the past month where he suggested canceling the 2026 midterm elections if his party loses.
Now, with no apparent concern about international perception, he’s embracing the dictator label as if it’s a badge of honor. His Davos remarks left attendees visibly uncomfortable, though Trump continued to cycle through boasts about the day’s speech and his global deals, including renewed threats to impose tariffs on Canada and Europe if they resist U.S. designs on Greenland.
The remarks have fueled growing unease among international leaders and observers. Trump’s casual embrace of authoritarian language at a global summit marks a new level of political brazenness and raises fresh questions about both his judgment and the precedent he’s setting for American governance.
Watch the clip below:
Trump: Sometimes you need a dictator pic.twitter.com/l7KkB3DpgI
— Acyn (@Acyn) January 21, 2026
