Trump, who called Zelenskyy a dictator, now forced to prove he is not a dictator himself

US President Donald Trump has justified the use of National Guard troops in Washington to fight crime and has denied that he is a dictator.

As reported by Axios, the restrictions imposed by the US president in Washington are unprecedented and have come only a few months after an independent poll showed that most Americans consider him a "dangerous dictator".

On 25 August, Trump signed an order assigning Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth responsibility for preparing a special National Guard unit intended to "ensure public safety" in Washington.

"They say, ‘We don’t need him. Freedom, freedom, he’s a dictator’", Trump said at a White House event, suggesting that the next city to deploy the National Guard could be Chicago.

"A lot of people are saying, maybe we like a dictator. But I don’t like a dictator. I am not a dictator. I am a man with great common sense and a smart person," he added.

Democrats call Trump’s moves to deploy the military in cities a manifestation of authoritarianism.

"Trump is trying to militarise our cities – all to distract from his sinking poll numbers. It’s what dictators do. No one should be silent in the face of this administration’s authoritarian actions," Democratic Senator Ed Markey tweeted on 24 August.

"Trump’s militarisation of Los Angeles seems to have been just the start of an authoritarian takeover of American cities," tweeted California Governor Gavin Newsom, who often clashes with Trump.

Trump’s long-standing dissatisfaction with the situation in Washington reached a critical point this month when he declared a state of emergency over crime. He mobilised about 2,000 National Guard troops, some of whom are permitted to carry firearms.

Trump explains his actions as a fight against crime and homelessness in the capital, although data indicate that the level of violent crime in the city has decreased in recent years.

Trump has also announced that he wants to rename the Pentagon the Department of War soon.

In February, Trump repeatedly called Ukraine’s president a dictator and said Zelenskyy must act quickly if Ukraine wants to survive as a country. Later, Trump expressed surprise that he had previously called Ukraine’s president a dictator several times.