I think Trump probably wants to be outright totalitarian but it is somewhat like you said, he is not allowed to fully go down that path. Outright totalitarianism meets with too much resistance; the chances they will topple is very high.

A more covert totalitarianism has shown better results. Someone with Trump's ego obviously struggles to play by those rules. Unfortunately for him, he will have to.

There is something called the totalitarian tiptoe. This is the gradual removal of freedoms until we reach totalitarianism. It is done slowly so we do not notice it and therefore will be less resistant. Trump most likely does not have that kind of patience. This should be very obvious but so many people believe he has the public's' best interests at heart. Would a totalitarian sprint actual work with someone like Trump?

More people need to wake up and wake up fast. @honeybee your posts make for good alarm clocks. I just wish more people would heed your wisdom and hear that ringing.