Sunday, 25 May 2025

The United States of Trump

Donald J. Seize Her. (Rome's new Emperor).*

Little did they know that a Duck would be elected twice to challenge their immense foresight.

The Founding Fathers —
George Washington – Commander-in-Chief during the Revolution; first President.
Thomas Jefferson – Principal author of the Declaration of Independence; third President.
James Madison – “Father of the Constitution”; fourth President.
Alexander Hamilton – Key author of the Federalist Papers; first Secretary of the Treasury.
John Adams – Advocate of independence; first Vice President, second President.
Benjamin Franklin – Diplomat, inventor, elder statesman.
John Jay – First Chief Justice; co-author of the Federalist Papers.

…amongst others debated for four months over the Constitution used today.
The Federalist Papers, all 85 of them, were designed to assuage the doubts of the original 13 states, followed by the Bill of Rights — guaranteeing the ‘undeniable’ rights for all Americans, supposedly still in place today.

Many changes were put in place before reluctant states accepted the federal system.

Most people do not fully understand that the individual states of the U.S. are more akin to countries, like those that make up the European Union, the United Arab Emirates, or the now-defunct Soviet Union. The key difference lies in the willingness of each U.S. state to surrender a degree of sovereignty in exchange for the power and protection of a federal union. This stands in stark contrast to subdivided nations like Australia, Brazil, or Canada, where states or provinces were carved from a central authority rather than voluntarily joined together. That also explains why individual U.S. states have such autonomy in how they are governed and the laws they impose — subject only to overriding federal law, where applicable and enforced.

And now to the Duck tales

How closely do the Roman Caesars and the American Seize-her compare, you might ask.

I asked Chat this same question and this is what I got.
Don’t forget, dear reader, that Chat can make mistakes, so read the following with a pinch of salt — I haven’t taken the time to verify each and every fact here.

πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡Έ Trump-era U.S. vs. πŸ‡·πŸ‡΄ Late Roman Republic: Key Parallels

ThemeLate Roman Republic / Early EmpireTrump-era U.S.
Populism & Strongman PoliticsJulius Caesar and later Augustus gained power through popular support and anti-elite rhetoric.Trump appeals to “forgotten Americans,” attacking elites and media.
Senate vs. Executive PowerThe Roman Senate lost authority as emperors centralized power.Trump often defied congressional norms; executive orders became dominant.
Decline of Civic NormsPolitical violence, bribery, and intimidation eroded Roman tradition.Increasing threats to judges, election officials, and erosion of norms.
Militarization of PoliticsGenerals like Caesar and Pompey used military loyalty to influence politics.Trump valorises military imagery and has support from armed militias.
Legal ManipulationLaws were bent to serve individual ambitions (e.g., proscriptions, show trials).Legal systems strained under loyalty tests, selective enforcement.
Public SpectacleBread and circuses distracted the masses; emperors performed for crowds.Trump rallies and media dominance function as political entertainment.
Cult of PersonalityEmperors like Augustus, Nero, Domitian built divine or heroic images.MAGA culture elevates Trump as saviour, with flags, merchandise, and slogans.
Weakening InstitutionsSenate, elections, and checks became symbolic rather than functional.Erosion of trust in elections, courts, and peaceful transfers of power.
Internal DivisionRome split into factions and civil wars (Optimates vs. Populares).U.S. is politically polarized; talk of civil conflict resurfaces.


What can I tell you?

Are we seeing the decline and fall of the American Empire?
Most pundits would probably bet on that. History maps similar cycles — from the Dutch to the British, from the British to the American, and now from the American to the Chinese.

As we have seen with the cycle of economic crisis, some trends are inevitable under regimes that have hardly changed over so many centuries. While some might argue that the names have changed, most of the underlying concepts are simply greed and power driven.

Most of us old Fogies may not see this endgame playing out, but the Duck has laid the very solid groundwork needed to guarantee that this cycle continue. All in the name of :

Making Donald Great Again
           And nothing else.

May the towers of Trump befall the same fate as Babel.

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