In a press conference Wednesday morning, Maine Gov. Paul LePage (R) cleared up that he meant to describe Donald Trump as “authoritative” rather than “authoritarian” in a Tuesday interview.
“Instead of the word authoritative, I used the word authoritarian,” LePage told reporters, calling it a “misword.”
He also doubled down on his criticism of President Barack Obama, who he called a “dictator.”
“I called him autocratic yesterday, but let me be very clear,” LePage said, winding up. “I believe the President of the United States of America, Barack Obama, is a dictator.”
LePage went on to praise Trump as “a very powerful personality.”
The Maine governor held the entire press conference behind a podium adorned with Clinton-scandal-themed Russian nesting dolls:
Props for LePage. #mepolitics pic.twitter.com/2rTZtLxJqX
— Michael Shepherd (@mikeshepherdME) October 12, 2016
According to a report by the Portland Press Herald, LePage explained that the dolls represented dwindling global respect for the United States.