Sometimes people 'need a dictator’: Trump stuns Davos with sinister threat after Greenland rant

US President Donald Trump, speaking at the world stage on Wednesday (Jan 21) once again floated his dictator dream. Not during his main speech, but in a loose moment afterwards, talking to business leaders on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos. Trump, seemingly in a reflective mood, was still buzzing about the reaction to his earlier remarks, when he alarmingly said, people sometimes "need a dictator".

What did Trump say exactly?

Not long after his long rambling speech that included a lot about Greenland, Trump said, "We had a good speech, we got great reviews. I can’t believe it, we got good reviews on that speech".

He conceded that usually people don't like him: "Usually they say: he’s a horrible dictator type person." Accepting that he is in fact a dictator, Trump, in his usual half-joke, half-threat way, added, "I’m a dictator. But sometimes you need a dictator. But they didn’t say that in this case".

Trump's 'dictator' dream: A constant fantasy

Previously, too, Trump has likened himself to a dictator. Ahead of the 2024 election, he told Fox News host Sean Hannity that he would be a dictator, but only for one day. The plan, he said, was to drill for oil and seal the southern border. Since his return to office, critics say the line between joke and policy has blurred.

Over the past year, Trump has bypassed Congress to carry out deadly boat strikes in the Caribbean, moved to purge and reshape the federal workforce, and openly targeted political opponents. He also sent troops into Democratic US cities to quell unrest.

Recently, he has even floated cancelling the next midterm elections. In a recent interview with Reuters, he argued that "we shouldn’t even have an election" given how much he claims to have achieved.

Trump uses Davos speech to praise authoritarian allies

On Wednesday, Trump used his Davos speech to praise two authoritarians, Russian President Vladimir Putin and China’s Xi Jinping, while turning on old allies like France, the UK, and Denmark. "We give so much, and we get so little in return," he told the room.

Trump's statement comes amid his continuing push for Greenland, a self-governing part of Denmark and a fellow NATO territory. Trump had earlier refused to rule out using military force to take it, a move that would break both international law and the NATO charter. However, he has since walked that back, saying he will not invade. But he insisted that only the US can truly defend the mineral-rich island.