It is frightening how Trump is destroying our democracy by ignoring our Constitution. Below are ways that Trump, like all aspiring dictators and oligarchs, gain power:

1. Curtailing freedom of the press: Suing ABC, CBS and The Wall Street Journal; refusing the Associated Press access to press conferences; defunding public broadcasting.

2. Curtailing freedom of speech. Our democracy was designed as a two party system so that ALL opinions could be heard without fear of retribution. Yet Trump threatens to sue, jail or extradite those who disagree with him and had demonstrators who were against his immigration policies arrested, sending in 2000 national guard troops and 700 US Marines to Los Angeles, even though the governor declared that they weren’t needed.

3. Ignoring our System of Checks and Balances that was established to prevent a president from gaining too much power: Defying judges and the rule of law; dominating a Republican congress that does not hold him accountable.

4. Firing government watchdogs and replacing them with “yes” men.

5. Placing incompetent, under-qualified people in as heads of departments, because they will do his bidding.

6. Using his presidency to gain enormous wealth through lawsuits, endorsing products, and retaining/profiting from his businesses, even though Federal law prohibits presidents from using their position for private gain.

7. Confusing the political scene with a smoke screen of executive orders and affecting so many aspects of our lives that people are overwhelmed by the chaos!

8. Denigrating our election process by denying the results of the 2020 election, despite proof of its validity, thus throwing this vital democratic process into doubt and suspicion.

9. Rewriting history; making vast, blatantly untrue statements: Saying that Biden appointed Jerome Powell of the Federal Reserve, when Trump actually appointed him in 2017; that Honda is building a “really big plant” in Indiana yet Honda says they have no such plans.

10. Increasing our national debt by a party that is supposed to oppose “big spending”: Claiming that his “Big, Beautiful Bill” will decrease the national debt by $1.6 trillion through spending cuts but in reality, when you factor in the huge tax cuts for the wealthy, it increases our debt by $3 trillion.

Trump is the perfect example of an aspiring dictator who has become so emboldened that he doesn’t even try to hide it!