THE RETURN OF CALIGULA
It's all happening in the US this week. on Friday, Donald Trump declared himself king of America, blamed the Ukrainian president for forcing Russia to invade Ukraine, and sacked stacks of vital workers including the people looking after the nuclear weapons.
Ironically, Trump fits the model of a king—not the noble, honorable kings of mythology and fairy tales - Trump is no Arthur Pendragon, but kings through history - tyrannical, corrupt, greedy bastards, exploiting power for personal gain, oppressing their subjects and disregarding the well-being of those they ruled over. In short, Trump is a king, if by king, we mean cunt.
Trump is more like Caligula. The Roman emperor was notorious for his extreme and erratic behavior, including claims of being a God, random cruelty, purging of political rivals, and syphoning huge amounts of money from the state to his personal coffers.
Both Trump and Caligula appealed to the populace by presenting themselves as outsiders who could challenge the system, the elites that have kept the people from their just position in society. And just like Caligula, Trump was lying through his hole! Above all, Trump wants to be worshiped; to sit on a throne and have grovellers bow to him, opponents bend the knee.
Trump was a shit deal-maker at the fag-end of career of tanked businesses, grifts, and blatant robberies when he became president the first time. As with every other enterprise he touched, his stint as the head of the most powerful country in the world was a complete failure. This time around it's a fucking calamity. Trump has spent the last few weeks ruling like a monarch and now he has crowned himself king.
As expected, the Republican Party and right-wing media have largely ignored or defended Trump's latest outrage. By downplaying the significance of his statement, they risk normalising his increasingly mental actions and undermining their party's (cough) "commitment to democratic values." The fucking cowards will put up with anything to stay in his good books, even the destruction of their beloved republic.