During the Cold War, when the USSR truly was an existential threat to our country, we felt compelled to ally ourselves with a wide range of right-wing dictators. We provided them with economic and military assistance, but we didn’t typically give them any kind of a public embrace. They were, in short, a necessary embarrassment.
Unlike the USSR, ISIS is not an existential threat, but it presents enough of a problem that we have been required to behave in somewhat the same manner towards unsavory regimes, such as Egypt’s. Donald Trump wants to take that to a new level, however; strong men are his favorite kind of leader, and you could expect him to behave accordingly if he is elected President. You can even imagine him sending American troops to prop up the Egyptian regime in the face of a genuinely popular uprising on the basis that any alternative to the status quo will inevitably be worse for American interests.
Leaving aside the inconsistency of that approach with American values, there are times when it fails, and with catastrophic results. If you don’t believe me, just ask the Shah of Iran.