If I were a dictator, there are a couple of things I would do.
For a start, I would keep the army happy. What soldiers don’t want to see is thousands of their comrades in arms kicked out for no good reason. Not to mention the way that old heroes are being erased from the record for racist and sexist reasons, because those soldiers don’t fit into the perfect image that their masters demand.
That’s not to mention abolishing assistance for veterans. A lot of old soldiers have trouble adjusting to civilian life and it’s good that the government at least tries to help them, even if it doesn’t always work.
Even the dumbest grunt must surely notice how badly the government is treating their comrades and how they themselves will not get any support in the future. That’s not what they were promised when they joined up.
Then there’s the social security cheques. I would make sure these were paid on time and in the full amount. People depend on this money for survival and there will be a big problem if hundreds of thousands suddenly cannot afford to eat. Especially if they are armed.
That’s what I would do at any rate. The US government is not doing either of these things. My conclusion? Obviously they’re not trying to set up a dictatorship. Thank goodness for that.