Rakesh Ahuja @DwnlodingMyMind · Jul 23

The American Tragedy – A Mad King
1. Looking at the United States from an outside perspective, it certainly seems that Americans have a Mad King on their hands. Using three (subjective) traits—narcissism, dishonesty, and sexual misconduct—as a basis for comparison, the closest historical match would be #Nero or #Caligula of the Roman Empire. Among modern Heads of State, Silvio Berlusconi (Italy) probably comes closest to Trump - notwithstanding half-mad George III (England), the deranged Ivan the Terrible (Russia), or Ibrahim the Mad (Ottoman).
2. #Trump shares with Caligula and Nero a rampant narcissism, erratic behaviour, self-aggrandisement (e.g., being the "best" at almost everything), and a need for public adoration (e.g., a focus on populist rallies, like Hitler). Undoubtedly, both emperors would have adopted media-driven personas if they had had access to the means available to Trump.
3. Admittedly, he is more modest than Caligula in not declaring himself God, but he keeps reaffirming his messianic role (e.g., God saving him from assassination attempts to Make America Great Again). WH Spiritual Advisor, #PaulaWhite, has no doubt whetted his megalomania with, “To say no to Trump is like saying no to God.”
4. #Berlusconi provides a close modern parallel to Trump. His flamboyant narcissism, media manipulation, and sexual scandals apart, he, like Trump, also used his wealth to project power; faced legal scrutiny for personal misconduct; and fabricated narratives to bolster his populist base.
5. Trump’s varied picadillos and current Epstein-laden travails uncannily resemble Berlusconi’s sexual predilections. Silvio came under fire for his “bunga bunga’ parties with young women, allegations of paying for sex with minors (e.g., the Rubacuori case) and soliciting underage prostitutes.
6. Self-proclaimed American exceptionalism is fading. Trump’s conduct, seemingly untrammelled by the Republic’s Constitutional structure, is so often reminiscent of a Third World tin-pot dictator.
7. When #BenjaminFranklin was asked what type of government the Constitutional Convention had adopted, he responded, "A republic, if you can keep it." Well, America is unravelling 239 years later. Franklin's words on their Founding Fathers' great experiment are, or should be, hauntingly distressing to Americans watching the American Tragedy in motion. #USA #AmericanTragedy #MadKings