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CNN presidential historian Timothy Naftali suggested that President Trump managed to be a “dictator from day one” of his presidency, based on his actions in opening day.
Naftali reacted to the news that the president sign more than 200 executive orders on its first day, a record number.
“He has decided to fulfill his promise to be a dictator from day one,” Naftali said, referring to a comment Trump made during a 2023 press conference. town hall with Fox News’ Sean Hannity.
Trump then joked that he wouldn’t be a dictator: “Except the first day. We’re closing the border and we’re drilling, drilling, drilling. After that, I won’t be a dictator.”
CNN historian Timothy Naftali commented on President Trump’s rhetoric after his inauguration on Monday. (CNN Screenshot)
Naftali added that Trump invited several international leaders, including Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Argentine President Javier Milei, whom Naftali criticized as “far-right” leaders.
He continued to attack Trump’s past calls. acquire Greenland and regain control over the Panama Canal, suggesting that this is capitulating to the “far right.”
“In a sense, we had the international far right represented at the inauguration,” Naftali said. “And the president of the United States, for the first time since 1901, in his inaugural address, talked about how this country is going to acquire new territories and threatened the sovereignty of another country.
“That’s a signal to the far-right in the world that the United States is now going to play like the other far-right countries do, which is: ‘What we want, we take.'”
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Argentine President Javier Milei share a joke as they arrive for Donald Trump’s presidential inauguration in the rotunda of the United States Capitol in Washington, United States, January 20, 2025. (Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters)
He continued: “Which means that, for the first time since World War II, we are no longer an indispensable nation. If we continue with the takeover rhetoric, we have become an imperialist nation.”
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Trump promised in his inaugural address that “America’s sovereignty will be restored, our security will be restored. The scales of justice will be rebalanced. The cruel, violent and unjust weaponization of the Department of Justice and our government will end. And our top priority will be to create a proud, prosperous and free nation.
Trump had proposed acquiring Greenland before his inauguration. (Evan Vucci/AP)
Naftali added: “The kind of rhetoric the president used in his inaugural address is the kind of rhetoric one associates with the great imperial power.”
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