'Totally normal for a dictator': Trump stuns with latest demand for punishment

Former President Donald Trump left onlookers shocked Tuesday when he declared private citizens should lose their jobs should they refuse to follow his party line.

Trump's Truth Social message — in which he claims business executives not "100% behind Donald Trump" should be "FIRED for incompetence" — was met with immediate backlash from critics raising the specter of fascism.

"All business executives will hereby devote their full, 100% support to Dear Leader Trump," replied the political group Really American. "Totally normal...for a dictator."

Trump has often drawn comparisons to authoritarian leaders with his disruption of the peaceful transfer of power, threats of political retribution,arguments for blanket criminal immunity, "day-one dictator" remarks and professed envy of Adolf Hitler.

He's also made history by becoming the first former president and presumptive presidential nominee to face criminal charges.

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Tuesday's remarks — based on a Wall Street Journal report that notes Trump is pushing a Depression-era corporate tax rate — once again had his political opponents warning of the danger they say he presents to American democracy.

"Pretty fash!" replied journalist Aaron Rupar.

Political analyst Ahmed Baba argued Trump's message was a warning to the business leaders Trump claimed would be incompetent not to follow him.

"Business leaders backing Trump, who is seeking to expand presidential power and bring independent agencies like the FTC under direct White House control, are delusional if they don’t think he’ll abuse his power to target them the moment they step out of line," he wrote.

"He is going to worse [sic] than any dictator that ever lived if he gets elected again," said X user Evie. "It’s frightening."

"Traitor tRump is behaving like a Dictator even before being elected," added @henshaw_kelley. "We can't imagine how he will be once he's back in office! It would be a live HORROR show."