Donald Trump appeared to paraphrase French authoritarian leader Napoleon Bonaparte Saturday, and prompted several reactions that ranged from support to confusion to ridicule.
“He who saves his Country does not violate any Law,” Trump posted on Truth Social and X. MSNBC’s Katie Phang was quick to note on Blue Sky, “Convicted felon, Donald Trump, says what?”
Trump’s quote has been attributed to Bonaparte but not verified as definitively belonging to the former leader. This didn’t stop plenty of people from drawing comparisons between the two men.
“Paraphrasing Napoleon Bonaparte seems right on brand for this small little man,” tweeted media personality Karly Kingsley in response.
“This is a quote ascribed to Napoleon Bonaparte, who launched a coup against the French Republic and installed himself as First Consul and later Emperor of the French Empire,” wrote political analyst Arieh Kovler. “So, yeah, things are going great.”
Bloomberg columnist Matthew Yglesias pointed out the differences between how many Americans see Trump’s behavior. “Libs: Trump is a lawless dictator. Conservatives: The libs are being hysterical. Trump: I believe I should be a dictator who is above the law, like Napoleon,” he wrote on X.
“People need to wake up!” wrote Ed Krassenstein. “This is literally a quote attributed to Napoleon Bonaparte—right before he orchestrated a coup, seized absolute power, and crowned himself Emperor in defiance of democracy.”
Mehdi Hasan, who previously hosted his own show on MSNBC, highlighted the quote from Trump as evidence he is at the very least expressing fascist ideas. “Republicans for much of 2024: ‘How DARE you call our candidate Mr Trump a fascist?,’” he wrote on Blue Sky.
Trump has signed at least 65 executive orders since taking office in January, the most in a president’s first 100 days of office in several decades. The flurry of orders has prompted some to warn of a potential constitutional crisis, and several of Trump’s orders are being debated in court.
