Trump Reprimands NY Times and Chief WH Correspondent Over 'Dictator' Remark: 'It Was Said in a Joking Manner'

Former president Donald Trump railed against the New York Times and its chief White House correspondent in a scathing Truth Social post after a new article addressed the talk of a dictatorship should he be reelected, RadarOnline.com has learned.

In the Dec. 9 article by Peter Baker, he noted how a Trump ally rushed to condemn a historian who warned in a new essay that the former president may abuse his power if he is voted back into the Oval Office, echoing the concern of some voters nationwide.

Baker explained that Trump and his allies aren't "doing much to reassure those worried about his autocratic instincts," garnering pushback from the embattled GOP frontrunner.

"Fake News writer Peter 'Obama' Baker of the Failing New York Times (READERSHIP & SUBSCRIPTIONS WAY DOWN FROM THE GOOD OL' TRUMP YEARS!), whose claim to fame is that, 'he will never write anything good about the GREAT job President Trump did.' Just wrote, in a major, front page story, that I want to be a Dictator," Trump wrote.

Trump explained that he was taken out of context, adding that Baker didn't mention "it was said in a joking manner, and completed with 'but only for a day, because I'm going to close the Border, and DRILL, DRILL, DRILL,' a much different attitude and meaning!"

The 2024 hopeful made the controversial remark when asked a series of questions during a town hall on Fox News while chatting with media personality Sean Hannity.

"You are promising America tonight you would never abuse power as retribution?" Hannity asked, to which Trump clarified he would only be a "dictator" on "Day 1" to close the border.

President Joe Biden addressed the controversial comment during a political fundraiser in Philadelphia after Trump described his domestic opponents as "vermin" that posed a threat to the United States. "He's saying it out loud," Biden said.

"The other day he said he wants to be a dictator only on one day, wipe out the civil servants and a whole range of other things," Biden told donors at the event. "He embraces political violence instead of rejecting it. We can't let that happen."

Over the weekend, Trump stood by his "Day 1" comment during a keynote speech to the New York Young Republican Club, explaining that he plans to take action by closing the border.

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The crowd began chatting "build a wall" before Trump chimed in, "Well we did."