Trump’s love for dictators flows from his frustration The Statesman 25 Aug 2026
https://epaper.thestatesman.com/4191278/Delhi-The-Statesman/25-08-2026
Trump’s love for dictators flows from his frustration The Statesman 25 Aug 2026
Failure of his Gaza peace plan, largely due to refusal of accepting it in the present format by Netanyahu, who is soon to face elections, and Iran refusing to bend and accept US’s diktat, despite heavy bombing is making Trump, who considered himself the most powerful global leader, feel small and helpless. Adding to his frustration is refusal of his allies to join his illogical and fruitless campaign against Iran. With mid-term elections looming, Trump’s frustration only grows, though he denies it.
Israel, which commenced the war has now withdrawn into a corner, leaving Trump alone to face the music. The US armed forces are stretched beyond limits, armaments, especially missile stocks, are running low and losses in air power including UAVs and aircraft have gone beyond even those in the Iraq war, despite Iran’s air defences being depleted. There have also been personnel issues on board the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, forcing the US to deploy another carrier, USS George Washington from Yokosuka Japan in its place, leaving no carrier in the Pacific. This is the third carrier to be deployed in the conflict.
Trump is now taking out frustration of his failures on his allies and nations which cannot respond to US military power. When questioned on ongoing talks between Iran and Oman on managing the Hormuz Straits, Trump responded, ‘If Oman gets in the way, we’ll bomb the shit out of them.’ He also ordered scaling down the joint exercise with South Korea. It was Exercise Ulchi Freedom Shield, an 11-day event scheduled from 17 to 27 August. It involved 18,000 troops and would rehearse scenarios including missile strikes, drone incursions and cyber-attacks. Trump claimed it was too late to cancel them.
Trump’s logic for doing so at the last moment were multiple, including that the exercise was costly, largely paid for by the US and the refusal of Seoul to join the Iran war. He also highlighted his fondness for the North Korean leader, Kim Jong Un by mentioning that these exercises ‘send a signal that is totally inappropriate and hostile’ to North Korea, adding that North Korea ‘has been unthreatening and respectful’ to him during his tenure. He also announced his intention of meeting Kim Jong Un later this year.
Simultaneously, he praised the Mecca pact inked between Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan. On this, he mentioned, ‘It shows that the Middle East is coming together and how countries will finally be able to defend themselves in a more meaningful way.’ Earlier, in July at the NATO summit in Turkey, he lambasted NATO members for not helping in the Iran war as also on their defence spending. He accused nations independently of blocking their bases and airspace to the US, while re-igniting the Greenland issue.
At the same time, he praised Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan. In a bilateral meeting with Erdogan, Trump mentioned, ‘I was very disappointed with NATO,’ adding, ‘Frankly, if it (the summit) weren’t held in Turkey, where my friend happens to be a very strong leader, a very strong person, it’s possible that I wouldn’t have attended.’
In an interview to Axios, in May, Trump was singing praises of Chinese President Xi Jinping. He termed him as a ‘strong man,’ adding, ‘he is no games. It’s all business which I like. He also claimed that they both got along and ‘have a good relationship.’ Trump has repeatedly been singing praises of the Russian President Vladimir Putin, calling him ‘very strong, despite Putin refusing Trump’s proposals to end the conflict with Ukraine.
Linking all of the above, it is evident that Trump has fondness for strong global leaders, largely dictators or strongmen, who have ruled their country with an iron fist, crushing all dissent. The leaders he has praised in recent days include, Kim Jong Un, Mohammad Bin Salman, failed marshal Asim Munir and Recep Erdogan. Evidently, they are leaders Trump wants to emulate but cannot and this is exactly why he admires them. He tried copying them by issuing Presidential diktats (executive orders), but they backfired.
The US justice system blocked most of Trump’s executive orders, whether on tariffs, citizenship to children born in the US of illegal immigrants as also his personal actions including carrying out changes within independent federal bodies. His latest frustration stems from an appeals court blocking his dream of constructing a ballroom in the White House, forcing him to approach the Supreme Court to enable work to continue while he battles the courts.
The courts have also prevented the postal system from implementing Trump’s executive orders on mail-ins and absentee voting, impacting his desperation to change the election system akin to India, where photo IDs are essential for casting votes. His recent comment on his Truth Social site, ‘India’s last Election had 646,000,000 Voters! Less than one per cent voted by mail, and every single Voter had to have a VALID Photo Identity Document. We need to pass THE SAVE AMERICA ACT, now,’ is a sign of his growing anger on being curtailed by law. The same was retweeted by his ambassador to India.
In an interview to the New York Times in Jan this year, when questioned on what are the limits to his power, Trump mentioned, ‘there is one thing. My own morality. My own mind. It’s the only thing that can stop me. I don’t need international law.’ This was just days after US forces raided Venezuela and arrested its President, Nicolas Maduro and his wife.
Both of Trump’s recent operations, the attack on Venezuela and Iran were against international law. Since nations avoid criticizing, fearing a blowback, Trump sidesteps the UN when he wants to as also uses it when he gains from it, like pushing it to pass a favourable resolution on his almost defunct Gaza ‘Board of Peace.’ The US Congress currently lacks the ability to challenge him. It may change post the mid-term elections in November, which remains his concern. His current ratings are the lowest in his present tenure.
Trump has always dreamt of being a dictator, but was born in the wrong country. Hence, his role models and those he appreciates are dictators, whom he is desperate to emulate, but cannot. It leaves him frustrated and angry.