Well, he’s done it again. Donald Trump has gone viral after being caught on camera saying something that’s left a lot of people raising their eyebrows — and some questioning if he’s gone full dictator mode.
In a clip that’s been doing the rounds online, the former US President can be seen chatting candidly, apparently admiring the loyalty shown to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un — and wishing he got the same treatment.
“He speaks, and his people sit up at attention. I want my people to do the same,” Trump says in the video, with a smirk that has social media users both baffled and horrified.
The comment came during a past interview when Trump was talking about his then-notorious summit with Kim, and while he later tried to pass it off as a joke — the internet isn’t exactly buying it.
Cue the memes, outrage, and about ten thousand tweets with the words “authoritarian vibes.”
To be fair, this isn’t Trump’s first brush with controversy over his admiration for strongman leaders. Over the years, he’s been known to praise Putin, Xi, and of course, Kim — despite the small detail that these guys don’t exactly lead democracies.
One Twitter user summed it up:
“Bro really said ‘dictatorship, but make it American.’”
Another added:
“Imagine Obama said this. Fox News would still be talking about it.”
Trump’s critics say this is more proof of his “wannabe dictator” tendencies, while his supporters — as always — are either brushing it off or saying it’s just Trump “being Trump.”
Whatever side you’re on, one thing’s for sure: this man never fails to give the internet something to talk about.
