President Donald Trump surprised attendees during his second address at the World Economic Forum on Wednesday, declaring: ‘Sometimes, you need a dictator.’
This unexpected comment emerged as the former president discussed the feedback he received for his earlier speech, stating to the gathered officials: “Usually they say he’s a horrible dictator type person. I’m a dictator.”
“But sometimes you need a dictator, but they didn’t say that in this case, and, and no, it’s common sense, it’s all based on common sense, you know, it’s not conservative or liberal or anything else, it’s mostly, let’s say 95% common sense, and that’s what we… we had a good speech, we got great,” he elaborated.
Trump has mentioned the dictator label before, notably during the 2024 election campaign trail. He repeatedly claimed he would embrace the idea of being a ‘dictator for a day.’
He has often joked about being a ‘dictator on day one,’ usually at the onset of speeches before digressing to other topics, such as his intentions to drill in protected US parks.
This positive framing of the term ‘dictator’ is uncommon in the Western world but has been a staple in former Soviet propaganda, particularly under Marxist-Leninist ideologies.
Trump: "Usually they say, 'he's a horrible dictator-type person.' But sometimes you need a dictator." pic.twitter.com/Mi11DZx0u3
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) January 21, 2026
The concept was promoted as sometimes necessary for seizing total control and safeguarding citizens—a narrative employed to justify Vladimir Putin’s long-standing rule.
Beyond power, Trump’s speech highlighted his concern with wealth, as he bragged about the increased riches of business executives during his first year back in office.
The audience in Davos was largely composed of affluent elites and politicians, contrasting sharply with the financially struggling Americans facing an affordability crisis back in the US.
Instead of proposing solutions to the financial crisis, Trump diverted the conversation, criticizing his affluent peers for the wealth they had amassed.
“We have a lot of brilliant genius people in this room, and you can put that genius to work, and it’s an honor to do it,” Trump remarked. “In a way, I’m jealous of… in a way I’m upset. There are a couple of people in the room. I can’t stand them, and they’ve become very rich.”
He continued, “There’s nothing I can do about it. I would screw them if I could, but I can’t do it, right, you know, I can’t do it,” expressing his frustration.