President Trump sparks meltdown for sharing ‘Napoleon’ quote
President Trump has drawn outcry from critics on both sides of the aisle for citing a quote attributed to Napoleon that says people working to save their country can’t be accused of breaking the law.
“He who saves his Country does not violate any Law,” Trump proclaimed on Truth Social on Saturday.
Trump, 78, did not provide any context for the quote, although he cited it as his administration is facing a slew of court battles.
The quote — which has been attributed to notorious French dictator Napoleon Bonaparte, even if its actual origins are somewhat murky — immediately drew harsh criticism from Trump critics on the left and right.
“We told you Donald Trump wants to be a dictator. Well, it is now his official position that he can break any law he wants if he deems it necessary,” wrote Skyler Johnson, chair of the Suffolk Young Democrats, on X later Saturday.
User Angry Staffer also fretted in a tweet, “1. Yes, this is some weird shit. 2. He’s getting ready to do something really f—ing illegal.”
Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) bemoaned on the site, “Donald Trump seems to believe he can do whatever he wishes in the name of ‘saving the country.’
“In our constitutional republic, the means matter more than the ends. The US Constitution trumps the policy preferences of President Trump,” Torres said.
Canadian law professor Camden Hutchison groused, “This is–without exaggeration–one of the worst statements ever made by a sitting U.S. president.”
Liberal Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) chided, “Spoken like a true dictator.”
User Ed Krassenstein added, “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.”
Conservative critics of Trump also erupted in fury over his post, which comes amid a series of court battles his administration is facing.
“This reads better in the original German,” swiped editor-at-large at the Bulwark, Bill Kristol.
Pundit and DC Examiner contributor Brad Polumbo lamented, “This is actually a profoundly disturbing sentiment.”
Dan McLaughlin, senior writer at the National Review, said, “This is some un-American monarchical nonsense.
“The president is above *some* laws, because there are things legally only he may do. But his entire office remains a creature of law.”
On Sunday, Trump followed up the quote by calling on lawyers and judges to be “tough” and protect the country as his administration stares down a pitched legal battle to end birthright citizenship, one of dozens of significant litigation his team is facing.
Birthright citizenship is the concept derived from the 14th Amendment that says individuals born in the US automatically obtain citizenship. Trump and his allies have complained that illegal migrants are taking advantage of the policy by having children here so they can stay, too.
“The 14th Amendment Right of American Citizenship never had anything to do with modern day ‘gate crashers,’ illegal immigrants who break the Law by being in our Country, it had everything to do with giving Citizenship to former slaves,” Trump contended in a Truth Social post.
“Our Founding Fathers are ‘spinning in their graves’ at the idea that our Country can be taken away from us. No Nation in the World has anything like this. Our lawyers and Judges have to be tough, and protect America!” he wrote.
Last week, a fourth federal judge paused Trump’s executive order to end birthright citizenship.
The president has maintained that he will adhere to court rulings.
“I always abide by the courts, and then I’ll have to appeal it,” Trump told reporters last week.
Shortly after Trump was sworn into office in January for his second term, he rejected the notion of him becoming a dictator, despite his 2023 quip about only being a “dictator” on “Day One.”
“I believe in the sanctity of the vote,” Trump said at the time.
