By Peter Lemiska

How many times have Democrats labeled Donald Trump a fascist and a tyrant? How often do they compare him to Stalin or Hitler? They’ve been doing it for so long that they don’t even think about it anymore. In fact, they never gave it much thought to begin with; their words were spawned out of pure hate.

Yes, Trump is an arrogant man full of bluster. He can be abrasive, loutish, and often petty. Even his staunchest supporters would probably agree that he’s not a perfect human being.

But a dictator?

Throughout Trump’s presidency, he played by the rules. He issued no unlawful edicts, no unconstitutional mandates, no unilateral decrees to benefit himself or his party. All of his policies and executive orders were legal, constitutional, and intended to benefit the American people. Even his harshest critics, if they were honest, would have to admit that he gave the country four years of peace and prosperity.

Compare that to his successor.

Joe Biden abrogated his duty and violated our Constitution and his oath of office on his very first day on the job. His EO 13993 was followed up with policy changes that essentially erased our border with Mexico. That was done without consulting Congress and in defiance of both existing immigration laws and the will of the people. No U.S. president has ever before engaged in that kind of anti-American despotism. His immigration policy has resulted in more than 10 million unidentified foreign citizens and untold quantities of illegal drugs flowing into our country.

Then in August 2022, Biden announced a plan to forgive up to $20,000 in college debt for low- to middle-income borrowers. He tried to use the HEROES Act to justify that decree. That legislation was intended to benefit members of our military. While some undoubtedly saw Biden’s plan as a magnanimous gesture, others understood the reality. It would probably buy Biden a few more votes, and it wouldn’t cost him one red cent. It would cost taxpayers, though — roughly $400 billion.

In June 2023, the Supreme Court rejected his plan, ruling that his Department of Education lacked the authority to cancel those debts under the HEROES Act. Most Americans agreed. According to a CATO Institute poll, nearly two-thirds of Americans, 64%, oppose college debt forgiveness if it means higher taxes. Seventy-six percent oppose it if it leads to increased college tuition.

But tyrants aren’t dissuaded by courts or public opinion. Biden forged ahead with his plan through a series of incremental policy decisions, all arbitrary and unilateral. By January 20 of this year, Biden had decreed that more than 3.7 million borrowers were relieved of their student debt. Taxpayers would be responsible for the more than $136.6 billion owed by those borrowers.

And we can’t forget Biden’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. He, and scores of petty tyrants across the country, viewed the pandemic differently than most. They saw it as an opportunity. Biden himself used those exact words, proclaiming that it was “an incredible opportunity to fundamentally transform the country.” To him and all those wannabe dictators, it was gold on a gurney, a real opportunity to exercise their authority. They issued mandates and edicts like we’ve never seen in America before. Surgical masks were required for everyone, including young children. Arbitrary social distancing was mandated. Workplaces, schools, and churches were closed indefinitely. The right to peacefully assemble was suspended. Biden even decreed that all service members and government employees either accept an unproven vaccine or find a new career. All of it was in response to an illness that only posed a serious threat to elderly patients.

Eventually we learned what many suspected all along. It was all mostly theater. The mandates provided little to no protection against the virus and were sometimes dangerous. They did reveal, however, just how easily our freedoms can be rescinded.

But when a political party turns its government against the citizens, that is perhaps the greatest threat to freedom and democracy. It’s how tyrants around the world stay in power.

It’s no surprise that those who despise Donald Trump see his two impeachments and 91 indictments as vindication of their hatred and proof of Trump’s malfeasance. But objective, clear-thinking Americans see a problem with the ruthless and relentless attacks on Trump. They recognize political zealotry and injustice when they see it. They see selective prosecution — Democrat prosecutors charging Trump with crimes they scoff at when Democrats commit them. Open-minded people see brazen election interference and ham-handed efforts by Biden and the Democrats to eliminate the greatest threat to his presidency.

While the Left is busy bellyaching and obsessing about the “dictatorship” that another Trump presidency would bring, Biden and his henchmen are systematically eradicating our republic — one freedom at a time.

Peter Lemiska served in the U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Secret Service. Following his retirement from the Secret Service, he spent several years as a volunteer for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.