Trump shrugs off 'day one' dictator comment: 'Said in a joking manner'

Former President Donald Trump said Monday he was just joking when he said he would only be a dictator on "day one."

Trump was responding on Truth Social to New York Times writer Peter Baker's column on the dictatorship comments he reportedly repeated over the weekend.

"Fake News writer Peter 'Obama' Baker of the Failing New York Times ... just wrote, in a major, front page story, that I want to be a Dictator," Trump wrote. "But doesn’t mention it was said in a joking manner, and completed with 'but only for a day, because I’m going to close the Border, and DRILL, DRILL, DRILL,' a much different attitude and meaning!"

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Trump first made the comment earlier this month at an Iowa town hall hosted by Sean Hannity, who questioned the presidential candidate about concerns over his rhetoric.

Trump said he would be a dictator only on "day one," that he would close the border and start drilling.

"After that, I'm not a dictator, OK?" the former president told Hannity.

Trump's words were taken seriously by critics, who speculated that he was projecting his real intentions.

One of those critics was Baker, who wrote an op-ed on Dec. 9 saying that Trump's words show that him and his allies are "leaning into" the dictator image.