Support HuffPost. Authoritarianism expert Ruth Ben-Ghiat says Donald Trump is falling into the same trap that has undone authoritarian-minded leaders throughout history. Despite declining approval ratings, Ben-Ghiat argued in a guest essay for The New York Times that the president is making the age-old error of believing his own hype. Ben-Ghiat has long drawn parallels between Trump and past dictators. Advertisement AdvertisementAdvertisement AdvertisementShe has previously noted that his bombastic self-praise echoes a fascist slogan from Mussolini’s Italy: “Mussolini is always right.”Related...Read the original on HuffPost

Source: Huffington Post February 03, 2026 11:11 UTC