While many observers were repulsed by Donald Trump’s ridiculous speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, the president boasted after he left the podium that “we got great reviews.” He did not say from whom.

But the Republican didn’t stop there, going on to suggest that he’d somehow managed to subvert the audience’s expectations.

“Usually they say, ‘He’s a horrible dictator-type person,’ I’m a dictator,” Trump said, reflecting on the criticisms he’s accustomed to. “But sometimes you need a dictator.”

He did not elaborate on when, exactly, dictatorships are needed.

Up until very recently, it would’ve been considered a political story of dramatic significance for a sitting American president to say — out loud, in public, on the record — that he believes dictators are ever preferable to self-rule. But Trump’s comment went largely overlooked, in part because the rhetoric was overshadowed by other developments and in part because much of the political world is simply accustomed to the Republican’s overt hostility to democracy.

That said, I remain convinced that it’s best not to brush past these declarations too quickly. The president’s comment offered a fresh peek into a political philosophy he appears to embrace without embarrassment: By his own admission, Trump believes there are some conditions in which freedom should be discarded and replaced by something a bit more totalitarian.

This is the same Republican who has more than once talked about creating a temporary American “dictatorship” that he expects to lead. He has promoted images of himself in a crown. He has made Napoleonic declarations such as “he who saves his country violates no law.” He’s talked about “terminating” parts of the Constitution that stand in the way of his ambitions. He’s “joked” about canceling elections. He’s freely admitted that he believes (what passes for) his alleged conscience is “the only thing that can stop me.” He’s expressed admiration for foreign authoritarians — not despite their despotism, but because of their despotism.

To the extent that there was ever a serious debate about Trump’s authoritarian impulses, the president keeps offering unambiguous answers to the question.