Trump isn't smart enough to succeed as a dictator. Here's where he fails.

[Doodley]

Where Trump fails as a dictator

Failed to control flow of information
He thought he could control legacy media, branding it fake news, threatening law suits, and threatening to withdraw licenses. Even with social media on his side, installing his own 'statisticians' and a DOJ that acts as his defender and PR, polls show he has failed, and on every issue he is upside down. More and more people do not believe his BS.

Failed to eliminate political opposition
He has failed here too. He thought he could gaslight the whole nation, but his constant attempts to denigrate, misrepresent and silence the left has failed. Support for MAGA is shrinking. Support for Democrats is growing.

Failed to offer something in exchange for losing freedoms
Overall, people are suffering from his economic policies, tariffs, tax policies, cuts, and think he has gone too far with immigration. At the same time, they see him flaunting wealth, and taking care of his rich buddies. People don't think he is on their side.

Failed to rally the population around a scapegoat
He thought he could unite us all around a common enemy, but people are sick and tired of hearing him whine endlessly about Somalis, trans people, immigrants, Joe Biden, or whatever is the scapegoat of the month. He is a scratched record that only his loyalists listen to, and most people's experience is of being worse off financially rather than being worse off because of these scapegoats.

Failed to establish a cult of personality to galvanize enough support.
Yes he is certainly a cult leader, but his base is shrinking as more people realize he is demented and that he talks and posts like a moron, focused on settling scores, ballrooms, paving over the Rose Garden, gold plating the Oval Office, the Kennedy Center and other trivial pursuits.

Failed to win the respect of the people to seize power without an uprising
He thought he was going to be America's savior and we would prefer him to be dictator over seeing Democrats back in office. But the Epstein cover up, the unhinged behavior, like comments about Rob Reiner, the cruelty, the lack of personal responsibility or even acknowledgement of the problems people are facing, the loss of healthcare and safety net programs, the total lack of focus. All of these issues will only get worse as he becomes more demented, more desperate, more angry, as the tariffs have a worsening impact, as tens of millions lose essential benefits, and more people will see him for what he is.

[JustKay]

1. But his backers (and puppet masters) are powerful.

I thought Trump was a bumbling, embarrassing idiot in his first term. But he's downright dangerous in this term, because he's got very powerful - and creepy - people behind him, using him as their puppet. In 2022, the Heritage Foundation created something called the 2025 Presidential Transition Project, Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise. It was designed to provide a ready-to-use policy and personnel framework for a second Donald Trump administration.

Although he claims he's not influenced by Project 2025, Trump has implemented almost 40% of the playbook in 2025.

And how did Trump win a second term? Look no further than the (mostly invisible) backers of The Heritage Foundation. These people are the ones we need to look out for.

[Goonch]

2. ;-{)

[Skittles]

3. or be a mob boss

he is too fucking stupid and transparent

he does, however, have a lot of money which makes people do all kinds of nasty things on his behalf

[GreenWave]

4. Somewhere now at the bottom of Lake Michigan, Savior Trump witnessed a baby tossed overboard.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/fbi-tip-alleged-trump-witnessed-epstein-victims-baby-being-killed-dumped-in-lake-michigan/ar-AA1T5KJc

[Dan]

5. Well to be successful

He needs his Enablers to be smarter than him - check.

He needs to be smarter than his supporters - check.

Control of the media - the oligarchs own the media and they’re controlling the flow of information.

The GOP Congress is indifferent to the Constitution and the welfare of the people. Combined with their hatred of POC, Trans, Women, etc. So expecting them to do the right thing is a long shot.

The Roberts (USSC) Court has proven that the law is what they want it to mean to further their own goals (???) and change America into a straight, White, heterosexual, Christian religion nation. Preferably with only white men of property having the right to vote.

And I guess the rest - you’re right, he failed. But we still have a year to go until the midterms.

So, with his attacks on the middle-class - he needs some reason to use the insurrection act against the population. We know that the GOP will be all in on that and would support him if he decided that there will be no elections.

We still have a year to go.

[B.See]

6. I'm in agreement with the above

who suggested he doesn't have to be smart enough. So long as he has smarter backers with lots of money who can use him as their figurehead.

Personally, I think his biggest failure is, he talks too damn much and doesn't know when to shut the fk up. Or as one said above, "he isn't subtle."

His pompousness and arrogance, his penchant for reveling in, bragging about, and doubling down on malevolent evil and rank ignorance, his own undoing.

Shoots HIMSELF... in the foot, at nearly every turn.

Oh and another thing: he knows his...er... shortcomings, but his ego won't allow him to hire qualified people, and certainly not people of integrity.

This is why he can't have smarter, qualified people of integrity around him. He'd rather lackeys, buffoons, yes men, worms, and ass-kissers because the thing he values the most is LOYALTY.

And people of any REAL integrity or sense of self worth can NEVER be loyal to a bullshitting, con-man CLOWN.

[Buckeyeblue]

7. The bigger thing is that the country is too big and too wealthy to be a dictatorship

Remember Russia and China have never had democratic governments and they have never been wealthy. China's wealthy is a very recent development. Other dictatorships take place is much smaller economically challenged countries.

And then our size: we are just to big for a single dictator to manage. Even with his friends controlling major networks, the internet and cell phones allow us all to be reporters. And we have access to other country's news. Honestly, he would have to turn off the internet to truly control the flow of information. Which would ruin the economy overnight. And would cause immediate civil disobedience. (Remember the outrage when tik tok was going to be banned?)

Our beloved state's rights. The fact that we have 50 states, all of them claiming some degree os sovereignty, makes it very difficult for a dictator to take charge.

I'm not saying that Trump, along with complicit Republicans, haven't caused a lot of problems. Because they have. Trump has a policy of spitefulness and up until this point Republicans have goose-stepped right behind him. As long as he suppresses reproductive rights, demonizes transgender people and doesn't make the rich pay taxes, all of the other stuff is just fine print.