You do not need the popular will of the people to govern: that's a collective fiction we all agree to in order let democracy function.
If people no longer believe democracy functions and simply accept that as the status quo, then it doesn't.
Vladimir Putin has ruled Russia for decades while they had elections the whole time, and wasn't always President in that time. But there's never been any doubt who's in charge.
That is not true. You absolutely need the popular will, or at least assent, to govern. Even in the deepest, darkest dictatorships, like North Korea, if the vast majority of the population decided to rise against the leaders, millions would die, but they would ultimately win.
Any leader of any type has to convince the populace that accepting their rule is better than fighting it. Even if current weaponry allowed an army to kill the entire rest of the population of a country, that still doesn't allow a leader to rule by force alone: for one, the army will revolt at some point before killing the majority of their brethren. And even if they didn't, the loss of the majority of the population would ultimately leave the country far too economically devastated to serve any purpose, even for the glorious leader.
I was talking specifically about him becoming the president of the United States. I even highlighted that he doesn’t need to become the president to have extreme power over the country.
Just my opinion, and I say this with love, but if you think Musk is going to become president, you need to turn off BlueSky and touch grass.
If people no longer believe democracy functions and simply accept that as the status quo, then it doesn't.
Vladimir Putin has ruled Russia for decades while they had elections the whole time, and wasn't always President in that time. But there's never been any doubt who's in charge.