President Donald Trump on Monday dismissed accusations of authoritarianism, telling reporters in the Oval Office that “a lot of people are saying maybe we’d like a dictator,” while insisting, “I’m not a dictator. I’m a man with great common sense.” The remarks came as he signed executive orders aimed at escalating his law-and-order drive in Washington, D.C., including tougher penalties for flag burning and moves to curtail cashless bail. More than 2,200 National Guard troops are already patrolling the capital under the White House initiative, and Trump indicated similar deployments could follow elsewhere. He repeatedly targeted Chicago, calling the city “a killing field” and noting it has recorded the most murders of any U.S. city for 13 straight years. The president reserved particular scorn for Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker—whom he labelled “incompetent” and a “slob”—and for Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson. Citing police figures of six deaths and 27 injuries in shootings over the past weekend, Trump said the two Democrats should request federal assistance and warned the public to “stay tuned” for further action. Pritzker and Johnson have rejected a militarised response, contending that violent crime is declining and that any troop deployment would constitute federal overreach. Critics argue Trump is testing public tolerance for expanded presidential power, but the president maintains his sole objective is to reduce crime, not to assume dictatorial authority.