President Donald Trump's ego has grown to gargantuan and unprecedented levels in his second term, but as a new piece from MS NOW argued, that level of hubris could directly lead to his downfall, as it has for leaders throughout history.
While Trump's sense of self has never been modest, reports indicate that it has ballooned massively upon his return to the White House last year, with the president now believing he is among the most consequential people in history. The authors of the new Trump administration exposé, Regime Change, shared a story from a visit they made to the Oval Office in which Trump shared an associate's theory placing him among the ranks of "Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, William the Conqueror, Adolph Hitler, Mao Zedong, [and] Joseph Stalin."
Though many of those men were brutal dictators, Trump was reportedly pleased to put himself in their company, with the authors explaining that he "drew no distinction between those who built and those who destroyed" when comparing himself to individuals who reshaped history.
Writing for MS NOW on Sunday morning, Hayes Brown argued that Trump "doesn’t appear to have considered the losses of the historical figures on his list," many of whom suffered a downfall that was a direct result of their "hubris" and "overreach."
"I’d argue then that Trump’s list is missing a name that would better contextualize the central flaw in Trump’s self-aggrandizement: Ramses II," Brown wrote. "The pharaoh was the most powerful ruler of the most powerful epoch of ancient Egypt. Today, though, he may be better remembered as the subject of Lord Byron’s poem 'Ozymandias.' The poet described a ruined, broken monument, surrounded by empty desert, atop a pedestal inscribed with the words 'My name is Ozymandias, king of kings: Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!'"
He continued: "Because if there is a common thread that unites Trump with many of the most powerful leaders throughout history, it’s hubris. The unbounded pride and willingness to place themselves above all others, even the gods, has been the downfall of enough mortals that the ancient Greeks framed it as a king’s greatest sin. Trump apparently sees himself as mightier than any man who’s ever walked the globe. His belief [is] based on flattery and self-deception, a combination that has felled more would-be tyrants and despots than any one list can hold."
Hayes also added that the "best leaders have people around them to bring them back to Earth," something which Trump has little experience with, given that his current staff is filled almost exclusively with "'yes men' and sycophants." The list he is so fond of touting also seems to be the result of that same entourage of flatterers: while Trump has credited it to a "historian," it was actually compiled by the former golf caddie of one of his associates, who claims to be a "history buff."
Trump's inevitable downfall can be seen in the implosion of his war with Iran. Launched when he seemed to be at the peak of his power, all the might in the world has seemingly been insufficient to bring him the simple victory he wanted. Now, the war is causing his approval ratings with voters to plummet.
"While he’s tried to slough off any blame for a potential shellacking in the midterms for Republicans, his unpopularity and looming lame duck status portend a second half of his term lacking the same unfettered use of his power," Brown suggested.
