Shapiro conveniently ignores the fact that Oliver Cromwell, who succeeded Charles I as “Lord Protector”, himself ruled as a dictator (even abolishing Parliament) and was replaced by Charles II.
My standing belief is that the First Republic of the United States has ended already. We are now in a transitional period (Obama/Trump/Biden) which may result in an explicit dictatorship (or “Protectorate”) and might possibly see the establishment of a Second Republic of the United States which may not include 50 states and which may have different geographic boundaries.