Donald Trump hit back at people calling him a dictator over his unprecedented takeover of police in Washington DC – before defending his plan to force museums to present history to align with his views
19:52, 14 Aug 2025Updated 19:57, 14 Aug 2025
(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
Donald Trump moaned that people are calling him a dictator as he defended his unprecedented takeover of police in Washington DC.
And he defended his plan to force museums to let him personally review exhibits to allow him to re-write history to reflect his views.
He claimed many of his friends were “thanking” him for what he was doing in the capital.
It comes after protests sprung up at random traffic stops last night, as locals branded officers “fascists”.
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National Guard troops patrol the National Mall – an area which has next to no crime(Image: AP)
Trump used emergency powers to take direct control of policing in Washington – and sent the National Guard in to bolster his response to what he claimed was an increase in crime.
In reality, violent crime has decreased dramatically in DC over the last two years.
“They like to say, ‘Trump’s a dictator!’,” Trump said during a Q&A session in the Oval Office.
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“Well, I had calls from many, many friends – including Democrats – and they were thanking me so much for what I’m doing in DC.”
Asked if he was concerned the additional officers and troops patrolling the streets in Washington were being diverted from more important matters, he replied: “Like what? Like what?”
The reporter replied: “Terrorism”.
Trump casually dismissed the suggestion, saying: “Oh terrorism, really?”
He went on to say there would still be plenty of people to fight terrorism, and those deployed in DC were relatively small in number.
He was also asked about his plan to “rid” Washington’s world famous Smithsonian museums from what the White House has branded “left-wing spin”.
The White House has written to the institution, informing its Secretary Lonnie Bunch that the administration would be conducting a “comprehensive internal review of selected Smithsonian museums and exhibitions” in fulfilment of an executive order entitled: “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History.”
The letter said they plan to “ensure alignment with the President’s directive to celebrate American exceptionalism, remove divisive or partisan narratives, and restore confidence in our shared cultural institutions.”
It’s understood this could extend to exhibits relating to LGBTQ people, the Black Lives Matter movement and the Covid-19 pandemic.
In the Oval Office today, Trump said: “We want the museums to treat our country fairly. We want the museums to talk about the history of our country in a fair manner, not in a woke manner or racist manner, which is what many of them are doing.”
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An exhibit in the Museum of American History has already been re-written to downplay Trump’s involvement in the January 6th attempted coup in 2021.
The original exhibit noted – accurately – that Trump “repeated ‘false statements’ challenging the 2020 election results” and gave a speech that “encouraged — and foreseeably resulted in — imminent lawless action at the Capitol.”
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But the references to his false statements and the impact of his speech have been erased.
It now reads: “On Jan. 13, 2021, Donald Trump became the first president to be impeached twice. The charge was incitement of insurrection based on his challenge of the 2020 election results and on his speech on Jan. 6. Because Trump’s term ended on Jan. 20, he became the first former president tried by the Senate. He was acquitted on Feb. 13, 2021.”
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