(CNN) Donald Trump quipped during Sunday night's debate that if he were president, Hillary Clinton would be in jail.

The comment caught many Americans off-guard. And it sounded disappointingly familiar to those living under authoritarian regimes.

To start, here's what Trump said: "I hate to say it, but if I win, I am going to instruct my attorney general to get a special prosecutor to look into your situation (Hillary Clinton's email scandal)."

When Clinton responded by saying it's good that someone with Trump's temperament isn't in charge, he interjected, "because you'd be in jail."

So why did the comment elicit such passionate responses from both Republicans and Democrats?