Donald Trump has enthusiastically agreed with a comparison that places him alongside history's most notorious dictators, including Hitler, Stalin, and Mao. The US president reposted a text early Friday morning that argued the 'overwhelming difference' between Trump and such figures is that he is more powerful. 'Sounds good to me!' Trump wrote, attributing the text to 'presidential historian Dave King'.
King, however, is not a historian but a Scottish-born businessman and former chairman of Rangers Football Club. Trump reportedly first encountered King while golfing with Hall of Famer Gary Player. The document was previously mentioned in a March interview for the book Regime Change by New York Times reporters Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan, set to be published next week.
In the interview, Trump reportedly called for the document and recited the names of powerful historical figures, explaining how each fell short of his own power. 'Who would ever do a thing like that? Right?' Trump said, according to the reporters. The book, based on over 1,000 interviews, also includes Trump's comments on his legal battles: 'Essentially I won every fucking time.'
Trump also reportedly considered making Florida Governor Ron DeSantis his secretary of defense, saying 'We need plot twists.' He added, 'I'm not a big fan of Ukraine … except their women. They keep winning Miss Universe.' The book recounts Trump finding a tube of superglue and attempting to affix gold decorations to a fireplace mantel in the Oval Office.
Trump's admiration for autocrats has been longstanding, including praise for Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un. The comparison to dictators has drawn criticism, with King's lack of historical credentials also noted.
