• Trump suggests Americans might prefer a dictator during an Oval Office event.
• He signed executive orders to tighten federal control in Washington.
• New measures include prosecuting flag-burning and establishing a specialized National Guard unit.
• Critics accuse Trump of authoritarian tendencies and militarizing U.S. cities.
• Trump dismisses critics, asserting he is not a dictator but a person of "great common sense."

During an 80-minute event in the Oval Office, President Donald Trump suggested that many Americans may actually welcome authoritarian leadership, stating, “They say ‘we don’t need him. Freedom, freedom. He’s a dictator. He’s a dictator.’ A lot of people are saying: ‘Maybe we like a dictator,’” after signing several orders that intensify his crackdown on crime and immigration in Washington, D.C. He later clarified, “I don’t like a dictator. I’m not a dictator. I’m a man with great common sense and a smart person,” according to South China Morning Post, The Jakarta Post, and India Times.

Trump’s new directives include enforcing stricter penalties for flag-burning, insisting that offenders should face a year in prison, which contradicts a 1989 Supreme Court ruling that protects such acts under free speech rights. He stated, “If you burn a flag you get one year in jail — no early exits, no nothing,” emphasizing his push for enhanced federal control of the capital’s law enforcement amidst claims of an out-of-control crime wave, according to South China Morning Post and India Times.

Furthermore, Trump ordered the establishment of a specialized National Guard unit for public order in Washington, with plans to extend similar measures to other Democratic-controlled cities such as Chicago and Baltimore. He has also proposed renaming the Pentagon's department back to its historical title, the "Department of War," arguing that current defense strategies are "too defensive," according to The Jakarta Post and India Times.

Critics have not held back in their assessments of Trump's actions. Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker labels him a “wannabe dictator” and condemned the militarization of Democratic cities as an attack on political dissent. Similarly, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson characterized Trump's proposal as “the most flagrant violation of our Constitution of the 21st Century,” a sentiment resonated by several Democrats, including Senator Ed Markey, who highlighted the danger of such authoritarian tactics, according to South China Morning Post and India Times.

Charles Pritchett, speaking on behalf of civil rights advocates, criticized the removal of homeless encampments as part of the crackdown, arguing it demonstrates a disregard for vulnerable populations in the name of public order. Such actions have intensified claims from critics that Trump is utilizing federal forces to solidify his political position rather than address the root causes of crime in these urban areas, according to The Jakarta Post and India Times.