Washington, Aug. 28 -- US President Donald Trump pushed back against critics who accused him of acting like a dictator after his administration temporarily seized control of Washington, DC's police force and deployed National Guard troops with weapons on patrol.

"They say: 'We don't need him. Freedom, freedom, he's a dictator,'" Trump said during a White House event this week. "I don't like a dictator. I'm not a dictator. I'm a man with great common sense and a smart person."

Trump argued the extraordinary measures were necessary to curb what he described as a surge of violent crime in the nation's capital. He also suggested the Guard could be sent to other cities, specifically pointing to Chicago.

"When I see what's happening to our c...