While Donald Trump's behavior may seem unprecedented in the modern American political sphere, historian Tom Holland suggests this isn't the first time the world has seen a politician like Trump. Indeed, Holland told The Guardian that the presumptive GOP nominee has a lot in common with the infamous Roman emperor Caligula.
The emperor, whose name, The Guardian notes, is "synonymous with the worst excesses of absolute power," also had a fondness for "spectacle" and "humiliating people," Holland said. But perhaps the most notable parallel is how both Trump and Caligula capitalized on the masses' disdain for the elite. "What he did was to trample the dignity of the senatorial elite into the dirt and what he discovered in doing that was that the mass of the Roman people really enjoyed it," Holland said of Caligula. "Trump has said and done things that are utterly shocking by the standards of traditional political morality, but far from making him unpopular with the masses there is a sense in which he has become the toast of the people."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Why does the U.S. need China's rare earth metals?Today's Big Question Beijing has a 'near monopoly' on tech's raw materials
-
When did divorce begin?The Explaine Couples have always split up, but the institution has undergone major changes over the years
-
What are your retirement savings account options?The explainer The two main types of accounts are 401(k) plans and individual retirement accounts (IRAs)
-
Hegseth reportedly shared war plans in 2nd group textSpeed Read The defense secretary sent information about an attack in Yemen to a Signal group chat that included his wife and brother
-
Judge threatens Trump team with criminal contemptSpeed Read James Boasberg attempts to hold the White House accountable for disregarding court orders over El Salvador deportation flights
-
Biden slams Trump's Social Security cutsSpeed Read In his first major public address since leaving office, Biden criticized the Trump administration's 'damage' and 'destruction'
-
El Salvador refuses to return US deporteeSpeed Read President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador said he would not send back the unlawfully deported Kilmar Ábrego García
-
Trump says electronics tariff break won't lastSpeed Read The tariff exemptions on smartphones, laptops and other electronic devices are temporary, the administration says
-
Man charged in arson attack on Pennsylvania's ShapiroSpeed Read Governor Josh Shapiro and his family were sleeping when someone set fire to his Harrisburg mansion
-
White House pushes for oversight of Columbia UniversitySpeed Read The Trump administration is considering placing the school under a consent decree
-
Supreme Court backs wrongly deported migrantSpeed Read The Trump administration must 'facilitate' the return of wrongfully deported migrant Kilmar Ábrego García from El Salvador, Supreme Court says
