So we unleashed an insane felon and pedophile with his violent criminal private army while they control all levers of power in government. But what a night we had!
Reread this excellent column, Mike. Ruth identifies the confusion tactics of strong men and its effects as one reason we elected a strongman, who proceeded to 'unleash' himself. Another she identifies is that we more or less 'normies' can't really believe things are as bad as they are, or understand the primitive and amoral motivations a strongman lives by. As in "This can't be happening." Next thing he'll do (and has already laid the groundwork for) is ramp election/voting interference into the stratosphere.
“When public welfare is removed as a goal, the office-holder can focus on what really matters to him: consolidating power, making money, and humiliating and punishing his enemies.” This is Trump’s mind in a nutshell.
And I am grateful for all that you do, Ruth. Thank you. John
I am but a humble scribe myself, a fallen academic (Yale, Penn and Swarthmore). Books about the 1985 MOVE Bombing in West Philly and the Barnes art collection (film as well) and the Abramoff and Delay lobbying
I wondered about precisely the issue raised in the last par (Orizio) myself in Australia, watching the results of the NY election in particular. I am not familiar enough with the levers available to the president or his coterie to know what potential strategy he may use with the new incumbents, but particularly Mamdani, but listening to the celebratory speeches made me fear some surprise new assault. Do you have any insights into the possibilities? With many thanks for your work.
Very interesting post, but one thing leaves me feeling totally confused: how can one love people they despise? I think I'm glad that dictators confuse me on multiple levels.
Dictators love no one; they only say that they do, as a manipulation. Most dictators have been sociopaths/psychopaths (ASPD) which means that they are incapable of love.
I think I've had the understanding that you've expressed. My confusion was over how Ruth expressed herself in the post. I've listened to trump talk about his beloved NYC - I know he doesn't love anyone or anything. I've never figured out how guys like him or Hitler ever got anyone to marry them or even be a girlfriend, unless they were in love with the guy's money.
These people know how to act normal, as they are surrounded by normal people. But their normalcy is nothing but an act. It's all fake. They will fake being in love with someone, especailly if they view the woman as a prized possession. A covetous sociopath like tRump sees women as nothing but another item that he can own. Women get taken in by the sociopathic charm, until they see who he really is.
Wow! You've made me wonder if the boyfriend I had before my husband (who told me what the boyfriend was doing - emotional blackmail) was a sociopath? I had wanted to get out of that relationship, but just didn't know how until I got the information on what the guy was doing. Once I had that information, I regained my strength and broke up with him. Not easy, but I've always been glad I did it. Being arm candy isn't what it's cracked up to be.
Those with ASPD (sociopaths/psychopaths) are not rare in this country. The estimate is 4%, so they are all around us. They are very difficult to detect, and is the reason why 77 million voted for one in the last election.
I'm going to propose here an idea on transforming high school education as far as taking history seriously for once. First, Civics would be mandatory for all high school students. Second, there would be two years of history. One of those years would be the history of authoritarian governments from ancient times to the present. The people who live in such situations are properly called "subjects" of the rulers. The other of those two years would be the history of democratic countries from, say, ancient Greece to the present. The people who live in those countries are properly called "citizens" and they are expected to have rights and responsibilities. "Rights" include the freedoms that are in our Constitution and perhaps more. "Responsibilities" include voting, paying taxes, and serving on juries.
I can never get the image out of my head of garret morris on the old SNL idi Amin skits where he was described as having a brain like Swiss cheese. This is how I think of Trmp.
But more importantly, your conclusion that most people have no experience dealing with someone like Trmp are incapable of defending against him (as they persist in using a rationalist approach based on their experiences with others trained as they are with more or less similar temperaments.
All such efforts are pre destined to fail leaving the protagonist weaker than had they just done nothing, much less resisted.
Thank you Professor for your succinct descriptions of dictators, but even more for the question you posed of what I want from my democracy. To start with, I want a commitment from my government of dignity for all , a commitment to justice beyond tribe, clan and country. Looking forward to your upcoming essay, Heidi
Thank you, Professor Ben-Ghiat, for helping us through these times of upside-down government and abject uncertainty. The guy is an absolutely unhinged dictator who cares about no one, not even his family.
I just want to thank you for being a witness to the history that is unfolding before our eyes. Your vast knowledge of history and kindness and insight helps us to understand what is happening and why it's happening. You remind us that we're not crazy after all.
What I have noticed in nearly all autocrats is a lack of conscience. The psychopathic leader of Romania, Ceausescu became so hated by his people that he was executed. Gaddafi was thought to be a malignant narcissist. His actions showed that he had no conscience. Pinochet was another leader without a conscience, seen in his sadistic killings. We can easily add tRump to our list of autocrats without a conscience. All of these idiots wear a mask of normalcy, as a means of manipultion, but beneath that mask lies a monster.
So we unleashed an insane felon and pedophile with his violent criminal private army while they control all levers of power in government. But what a night we had!
Reread this excellent column, Mike. Ruth identifies the confusion tactics of strong men and its effects as one reason we elected a strongman, who proceeded to 'unleash' himself. Another she identifies is that we more or less 'normies' can't really believe things are as bad as they are, or understand the primitive and amoral motivations a strongman lives by. As in "This can't be happening." Next thing he'll do (and has already laid the groundwork for) is ramp election/voting interference into the stratosphere.
Yep
“When public welfare is removed as a goal, the office-holder can focus on what really matters to him: consolidating power, making money, and humiliating and punishing his enemies.” This is Trump’s mind in a nutshell.
Some MAGAs waking up to the fraud & authoritarianism?
More Blue tsunami is what’s needed. In the NJ Govs race every county shifted Blue from the ’24 presidential by as much as 18%
Trumpism: Cruelty & chaos, hunger games, terrorizing kids protecting pedophiles & self enriching fraud. https://open.substack.com/pub/paulkrugman/p/the-big-smirk?r=aexlz&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
Get up stand up & resist the fraudster authoritarians. Vote Blue!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20WPPgx4DDo
Eyes on the prize. Turn the House & Senate Blue in '26.
And I am grateful for all that you do, Ruth. Thank you. John
I am but a humble scribe myself, a fallen academic (Yale, Penn and Swarthmore). Books about the 1985 MOVE Bombing in West Philly and the Barnes art collection (film as well) and the Abramoff and Delay lobbying
Scandals.
I wondered about precisely the issue raised in the last par (Orizio) myself in Australia, watching the results of the NY election in particular. I am not familiar enough with the levers available to the president or his coterie to know what potential strategy he may use with the new incumbents, but particularly Mamdani, but listening to the celebratory speeches made me fear some surprise new assault. Do you have any insights into the possibilities? With many thanks for your work.
Thank you, RBG. So grateful for you and Lucid. 🩵
HCR - post Election:
A Conversation with Ro Khanna (11/4/25)
https://youtu.be/K1iNA6s69_8?si=Ad0JhZcT0k-3H_bT
So much good history here, and today was the opposite of Trump’s chaos and disinformation.
The Blue Wave offered a new vision and We the People voted for leaders who could offer us jobs and training in our specific communities 👏🏻🎉
Very interesting post, but one thing leaves me feeling totally confused: how can one love people they despise? I think I'm glad that dictators confuse me on multiple levels.
Dictators love no one; they only say that they do, as a manipulation. Most dictators have been sociopaths/psychopaths (ASPD) which means that they are incapable of love.
I think I've had the understanding that you've expressed. My confusion was over how Ruth expressed herself in the post. I've listened to trump talk about his beloved NYC - I know he doesn't love anyone or anything. I've never figured out how guys like him or Hitler ever got anyone to marry them or even be a girlfriend, unless they were in love with the guy's money.
These people know how to act normal, as they are surrounded by normal people. But their normalcy is nothing but an act. It's all fake. They will fake being in love with someone, especailly if they view the woman as a prized possession. A covetous sociopath like tRump sees women as nothing but another item that he can own. Women get taken in by the sociopathic charm, until they see who he really is.
Wow! You've made me wonder if the boyfriend I had before my husband (who told me what the boyfriend was doing - emotional blackmail) was a sociopath? I had wanted to get out of that relationship, but just didn't know how until I got the information on what the guy was doing. Once I had that information, I regained my strength and broke up with him. Not easy, but I've always been glad I did it. Being arm candy isn't what it's cracked up to be.
Those with ASPD (sociopaths/psychopaths) are not rare in this country. The estimate is 4%, so they are all around us. They are very difficult to detect, and is the reason why 77 million voted for one in the last election.
I'm going to propose here an idea on transforming high school education as far as taking history seriously for once. First, Civics would be mandatory for all high school students. Second, there would be two years of history. One of those years would be the history of authoritarian governments from ancient times to the present. The people who live in such situations are properly called "subjects" of the rulers. The other of those two years would be the history of democratic countries from, say, ancient Greece to the present. The people who live in those countries are properly called "citizens" and they are expected to have rights and responsibilities. "Rights" include the freedoms that are in our Constitution and perhaps more. "Responsibilities" include voting, paying taxes, and serving on juries.
I can never get the image out of my head of garret morris on the old SNL idi Amin skits where he was described as having a brain like Swiss cheese. This is how I think of Trmp.
But more importantly, your conclusion that most people have no experience dealing with someone like Trmp are incapable of defending against him (as they persist in using a rationalist approach based on their experiences with others trained as they are with more or less similar temperaments.
All such efforts are pre destined to fail leaving the protagonist weaker than had they just done nothing, much less resisted.
Thank you Professor for your succinct descriptions of dictators, but even more for the question you posed of what I want from my democracy. To start with, I want a commitment from my government of dignity for all , a commitment to justice beyond tribe, clan and country. Looking forward to your upcoming essay, Heidi
One truth about the dictator is only one at the top, the rest is bottom.
Thank you Professor Ben-Ghiat.
Thank you, Professor Ben-Ghiat, for helping us through these times of upside-down government and abject uncertainty. The guy is an absolutely unhinged dictator who cares about no one, not even his family.
I just want to thank you for being a witness to the history that is unfolding before our eyes. Your vast knowledge of history and kindness and insight helps us to understand what is happening and why it's happening. You remind us that we're not crazy after all.
What I have noticed in nearly all autocrats is a lack of conscience. The psychopathic leader of Romania, Ceausescu became so hated by his people that he was executed. Gaddafi was thought to be a malignant narcissist. His actions showed that he had no conscience. Pinochet was another leader without a conscience, seen in his sadistic killings. We can easily add tRump to our list of autocrats without a conscience. All of these idiots wear a mask of normalcy, as a means of manipultion, but beneath that mask lies a monster.