The President of the United States has affirmed that he is not a dictator, in the face of criticism denouncing some of his decisions in Washington. He took the opportunity to sign an executive order punishing those who burn the American flag.

A new speech is expected. Donald Trump stated on Monday that many Americans "would like to have a dictator," during an impromptu and extended press conference in the legendary Oval Office, devoted to security issues and recriminations against his opponents.

"A lot of people say, 'Maybe we'd like to have a dictator,'" he said, adding, "I'm not a dictator. I'm a very sensible and intelligent man." This statement comes as he faces accusations from the American left of authoritarianism, particularly over his immigration and security policies.

"You send in the military and instead of congratulating you, they accuse you of storming the republic," he said, referring to his controversial decision to send the National Guard into the streets of Washington's capital for "law enforcement operations."

Ministry of Defense to be renamed “Ministry of War”?

During this conference, the Republican signed, in front of journalists, a decree punishing anyone who burns an American flag, even though the Supreme Court considered, in a 1989 ruling, that such an act falls under freedom of expression.

“If you burn a flag, you will get a year in prison, with no early release,” he detailed. “This is strictly unconstitutional and a violation of your First Amendment rights. Trump wants to be a dictator,” wrote Dean Withers on X, a Democratic influencer.

In addition, the former real estate magnate also announced that he wanted to rename the Ministry of Defense the "Ministry of War," as was already the case between 1789 and 1949. "Defense is too defensive, and we also want to be offensive," he said to justify his choice.

Finally, during this long speech, Donald Trump also attacked the Democratic Party, saying that "all their potential candidates are doing a bad job," also calling the Democratic governor of Illinois, JB Pritzker, a "slob."