Things Trump says he likes:

-China's system of installing a leader for life.
-North Korean state media (b/c of how they slavishly heap praise on Kim Jong Un).
-How Kim Jong Un makes North Koreans stand at attention when he talks ("I wish my people" did that, Trump says).

...1/

Each time, Trump said he was "just joking" when he expressed his admiration for despotism. He's not "just joking."

The use of "humor" has a strategic purpose. It allows a person to deny any real commitment to extreme ideas while still espousing them.

2/ https://twitter.com/RVAwonk/status/1007819733415153669

Trump is following a playbook. Extremists use on irony & "humor" to spread their ideology while maintaining distance from the backlash it provokes. Espousing extremist (or despotic) views under the guise of humor lets people test the boundaries, then back away when met w/ outcry.

Does this mean that Trump is about to try to install himself to the presidency for life? No. But all of these statements clearly reflect his affinity for the unchecked, absolute power held by leaders of autocratic regimes.

That's profoundly disturbing and in no way humorous.

By bringing extreme ideas into the mainstream and pushing the boundaries, Trump is reshaping what we think of as "normal." His extreme ideas might not all make it into policy — but they make previously-unacceptable ideas seem moderate in comparison.

That's normalization.

If you're familiar w/ the concept of the "Overton Window," it describes this process pretty well: When you start by introducing the most extreme ideas, subsequent ideas will appear "moderate" and are more likely to be accepted even if they were previously deemed unacceptable.