The left didn’t believe that he was one, but yes trump people used that satire to try to discredit a warning that proved very valid. their actual view was that

The left didn’t believe that he was one, but yes trump people used that satire to try to discredit a warning that proved very valid. their actual view was that he had tendencies of a dictator and would like to become one, going so far as to encourage a coup attempt among other things, not that he actually currently was one.