Trump drive to pursue critics puts US on path to dictatorship, Democrats warn

Chuck Schumer and Chris Murphy condemn president's call for justice department to act against perceived enemies

Top Democratic leaders on Sunday warned that Donald Trump's drive to go after his political opponents is putting the US on a path to becoming a dictatorship and a banana republic" just eight months into his second presidency.

The warnings came a day after Trump's public call for the justice department to take action against perceived enemies - and after ABC yanked its late-night talkshow host Jimmy Kimmel off the air in the wake of a threat from regulators at the Federal Communications Commission who are loyal to the president. Such behaviors, along with others since his return to the Oval Office in January, has prompted many who are not fiercely aligned with him to describe him as an authoritarian.