“I can’t stomach Trump."
"He's an idiot."
"He's reprehensible."
"He's unfit for our nation’s highest office."
He might even be "America's Hitler."
So said JD Vance, a "bestselling memoirist of despair, drugs and generational poverty," in 2016 — prior to becoming a fully owned subsidiary of Peter Thiel.
Trump and His Cronies came to power in 2016 like a bad cover band learning the greatest hits of Hitler and the Nazis — “Fake News,” “Poisoning the Blood,” “Flood the Zone,” “Enemy of the People” and “The Big Lie” — plus modern classics of the Putin era like “Lock Her Up.”
This time around, with a new lineup and a harder sound, they’re turning the fascism up to 11.
JD Vance, now on backing vocals, is singing a different song than he did in 2016. But that's immaterial.
In 2025, the most prominent person telling us Trump wants to become America's Hitler is Trump himself. But unlike Hitler, who outlined his manifesto in a book called "Mein Kampf," Donald Trump's commitment to world domination is as shambolic as it is psychopathic.
These days, even the White House realizes it's hard to extract anything coherent from Trump's words. But by cobbling together the utterances about his dictatorial ambitions — sourced from speeches, interviews, ad libs, late-night "truths," and increasingly frequent senior moments — it's possible to trace the evolution of his strongman philosophy.
Let's call it "Mein Drumpf."
"Mein Drumpf": Trump in his own words
Between 2017 and 2019: Trump told Chief of Staff John Kelly he wanted his generals to be like Hitler's and that "Hitler did some good things, too."
"Hitler did some good things, too"
July 23, 2019: Trump told the teenagers at a Turning Point USA summit: "I have to the right to do whatever I want as president."
"Terminate the Constitution"
December 3, 2022: Discussing his crushing 2020 election loss to Joe Biden, Trump wrote on Truth Social: "A Massive Fraud of this type and magnitude allows for the termination of all rules, regulations, and articles, even those found in the Constitution."
"I am your retribution"
March 4, 2023: In a speech at CPAC, Trump said: "I am your warrior. I am your justice. And for those who have been wronged and betrayed: I am your retribution."
August 29, 2023: Asked by Glenn Beck if he would lock up political opponents in his second term, Trump said: "The answer is you have no choice, because they’re doing it to us."
A dictator on "Day One"
December 5, 2023: Trump told Sean Hannity he wouldn't be a dictator "except for Day One."
July 26, 2024: Trump told a crowd of far-right supporters at a West Palm Beach rally: "Christians, get out and vote! Just this time – you won’t have to do it any more."
January 20, 2025: In an Executive Order, Trump falsely accused prior administrations of "an unprecedented, third-world weaponization of prosecutorial power" and instructed his Justice Department "to identify and take appropriate action to correct past misconduct" by his political rivals. He literally used "Day One" in office to demonstrate what an unprecedented, third-world weaponization of prosecutorial power actually looks like.
August 5, 2025: Trump justified the anti-democratic, mid-decade gerrymander in Texas by saying: "I got the highest vote in the history of Texas... and we are entitled to five more seats."
"No more elections"
August 18, 2025: Trump said to Ukrainian President Zelensky: "So, let me just say, three and a half years from now… if we happen to be in a war with somebody, no more elections. Oh, that’s good."
"The States are merely an 'agent'"
August 18, 2025: Announcing his illegal scheme to cancel mail-in voting, Trump declared on Truth Social: "The States are merely an 'agent' for the Federal Government in counting and tabulating the votes. They must do what the Federal Government, as represented by the President of the United States, tells them, FOR THE GOOD OF OUR COUNTRY, to do."
"The CROOKED game of politics is over"
August 20, 2025: On Truth Social, Trump outlined his plan to rig the 2026 midterms through massive, mid-decade redistricting in multiple states, combined with a complete ban on mail-in voting: "If we do these TWO things, we will pick up 100 more seats, and the CROOKED game of politics is over."
"Maybe we like a dictator"
August 25, 2025: As he signed an Executive Order to further expand his use of the military in American cities, Trump told reporters in the Oval Office: "A lot of people are saying, ‘Maybe we like a dictator.'"
August 26, 2025: Trump claimed the presidency gives him " the right to do anything I want to do."
As President, Trump is failing on every level
He's wrecking the economy, destroying jobs and accelerating inflation, even as he embraces corruption more disgracefully than any President in our nation's history.
He's plagued by scandal.
Riddled with disease.
And sliding deeper into dementia.
As his own voters turn against him, Trump won't stop at simply "weakening democracy."
He's saying out loud that he'll sacrifice the entire nation — and inflict generational damage, even on his own supporters — simply to save himself.
With a new ballroom extension and a Trump 2028 merch display inside the White House, he's openly signaling his plan to die in office.
And even if the decrepit Trump doesn't make it to 2028 himself, the zealots and tech fascists around him are moving full tilt to normalize the emergency and make digital totalitarianism impossible to un-install.
Thanks for reading! Please feel free to share and comment. All content to Unprecedented is free—there's no paywall. But if you do enjoy the content, please support if you can...
Further reading:
American Idiot (March 2020)
American Idiot
A running list of the dumbest things Trump has said about the coronavirus
Richard Hine
Subscribe to Unprecedented
Subscribe to the newsletter and unlock access to member-only content.