Since the beginning of Donald J. Trump’s quest for power, one mystery has hovered over this man and his ambitions. Perhaps no moment highlighted this mystery more than the photograph of a petite, 80-year-old woman standing with one arm and finger pointing out the President amidst his seated cabinet and military leaders. Her scolding words caused the military brass to lower their heads while the President seemed muzzled by her rhetorical question, “why do all roads for you lead back to Putin?” Of course, Nancy Pelosi’s physical stature belies the power of her presence as the Speaker of the House, the third in-line to the Presidency, and the unquestioned leader of her Party for the last two years of this President’s term. Her question was an arrow shot directly at the heart of his Presidency. Only now, after four years in office, can we more fully appreciate her targeting.

What follows are a series of parallelisms between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin. In part, they are influenced by far more erudite and insightful presentations from books by Fiona Hill¹ and Timothy Snyder². And they elaborate on a previous blog wherein I casually described Trump as Putin’s acolyte. That metaphor equates Trump with an obeisant candle bearer lighting the path for an honored dignitary. For the past four years, we have witnessed Trump’s deference to Putin. But only now can we see the path he has lighted and begin to grasp the meaning of his anthem to “make America great again” (MAGA).

The First Parallelism: MAGA is a vision of a totalitarian government, like the Russian Federation.
In Trump’s world view, State governors should be subservient to the President of the United States as the appointed governors of the Russian Federation are to Putin. The wealthy and powerful are also answerable to the President as their protector, much like Russian oligarchs depend upon Putin as their protector. Their excessive accumulation of wealth is inevitable, driven by the market in America’s capitalist system just as it is driven by theft in Russia’s managed kleptocracy. In Putin’s Russia, political parties only exist to ritualize elections and assure his hold on dictatorial power. And that power allows Putin to pull the strings of Russia’s economy and government like a puppeteer. The “only I can” theme of President Trump impels him to “make America great again,” for he slavishly mirrors Putin’s self-image as the master puppeteer and redeemer of Russia’s past imperial greatness. That same theme explains Trump’s disregard for the functions of a republican government and his appointments of sycophants to its institutions, of “his” judges to the courts, and of loyalists to Republican Party’s primary elections. Though markets rise and fall endlessly, creating interim institutions in their wake, Trump’s America persists as an unchanging MAGA myth amidst chaos and turmoil. Therefore, he can be indifferent to governing since neither laws or institutions matter as much as belief in this illusion created by and embodied in the person of Donald Trump. In other words, only Trump can lead America to a fictional former greatness. Therefore, he must demand absolute loyalty. President Putin, by comparison, believes the Russian Federation is the embodiment of Russia’s past greatness as a century’s old empire. He has resurrected that past in the myth of Eurasia, a land mass extended from the Atlantic to the seas contiguous with the Pacific and governed by the Russian ethos. As Russia’s tsar-like President, he alone must have absolute authority over all branches of his government, to include all administrative, judicial, and legislative functions. In fact, he does have that authority, whereas Trump only imagined so.

The Second Parallelism: Trump, like Putin, cannot accept succession for “only he can . . . make America great again” as only Putin can redeem Mother Russia.
Given their immortalized status, neither Trump nor Putin can ever leave office, for no successor could possibly replace them. Putin has already reigned for over 20 years and has arranged to stay in office until the mid-2030’s. And Trump convinced himself in the “continuation” of his Presidency via his certainty of reelection. While Putin controls his elections, assuring he wins 90+ percent of the votes, Trump could not control State-run elections. So, he ignored the ballot count and just announced “I won in a landslide.” His justification for this lie was his often-repeated conceit that he was the “greatest President in history” who alone could make America great again. But his vision of greatness lacked the potency of Putin’s. Whereas Russia’s long history as an empire inspired Putin’s belief in an eternal Eurasia, America is a relatively newborn state that is constantly evolving. Putin can present himself as the great leader who redeems Russia’s past glory, albeit at the expense of Europe. Not coincidently, Trump’s war on democracy and globalism serves to weaken American support of and influence on the European Union. Perhaps unwittingly, he becomes Putin’s ally in his grand redemptive scheme. Trump uses MAGA as justification for both his overturning a democratic election and his anti-globalist policies. But an American President must envision a better future democracy rather than return to a fictional greatness. Trump was never capable of envisioning that future America, for he never cared about the country’s future. At his inaugural, he drew a bleak picture of his country’s present condition, naming it “American carnage.” Effectively, MAGA became no more than a renunciation of America’s future. Therefore, Trump could ignore the needs and welfare of the voting public, legislative initiatives, legal or official duties, and court decisions. His stated purpose was to stay in office indefinitely under the banner of MAGA. Although both Putin and Trump cannot accede to succession, there is a difference in motive. Putin believes in Mother Russia as a sacred and unchanging entity to which all Russians owe allegiance. His self-styled patriotism is poorly matched to Trump’s narcissism which demands absolute loyalty as a sycophantic salve for a damaged ego. He clings to power and status like a leech that would die without its host—in this instance, the office of the Presidency. Although Trump appears to admire Putin, I suspect Putin views him as a useful curmudgeon in his Eurasian crusade. Nevertheless, both men must retain power to attain their respective ends.

The Third Parallelism: neither Trump nor Putin want to integrate a pluralist society under laws that assure liberty and justice for all. Rather they favor a fascist state where likeness and conformity—even obeisance—is rewarded, and differences are shunned.
Although America has struggled to realize its ideals, over the past 50+ years it has finally begun to integrate people of different races, gender identities, and ethnic origins. Trump, however, would agree with Putin that these differences deserve less privileges. Even if he were aware of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 or the Voting Rights Act of 1965, he could neither understand nor support how they fulfilled the long-awaited promise of America’s democracy. Likewise, in Putin’s Russia there are many races, but there is no democracy or equal governance under law. Political opponents and homosexuals are poisoned or jailed after mock trials. On occasion, Trump has even admitted his admiration for Putin’s ability to subdue opponents or suppress the press. In a poor imitation of Putin, he had issued executive orders designed to reduce or eliminate Federal aid to the less privileged for healthcare subsidies, food distribution programs, and retribution of losses due to illegal loan practices. He withheld Federal assistance for Democratic governors he considered political opponents. He also issued executive orders to bar transgender applicants to the military and Moslem visa applicants to the United States. His recent legal attacks on vote counts in swing states focused on disenfranchising the Black vote. He has incessantly attacked the free press as “fake news.” His recent flurry of pardons was not adjudged on merit or mercy but designed to favor friends and associates without regard for the law or criminal justice. He often declined to criticize white supremacists and other conspiratorial groups. Further, like Putin, he had no tolerance for peaceful demonstrations and stated his preference for excessive force. And that preference reveals two things about Trump: his natural inclination to provoke violence—as he did recently when he incited an insurrection to overturn a free and fair election; and his belief in fascism wherein sovereignty resides rather in a tsar-like president than in the people.

The Fourth Parallelism: both Trump and Putin govern according to personal value systems which beg scrutiny.
In general, a leader attracts followers to goals that align with their existing values. Most politicians amass supporters in this way. A very persuasive or authoritative leader may inspire or command followers to support goals that redefine their understanding of the good or of their own welfare. This approach can be a trap for it presumes the leader is both wise and caring. Trump, however, is basically amoral, believing only in crass self-interest. He appears unfamiliar with the values underlining our democratic republic. It is doubtful he has ever read the Constitution. He seems to attract followers who believe any restraint is a violation of their personal freedom. Therein is a misrepresentation of freedom as a license to do whatever is self-serving. Consequently, Trump provides them the license to act irresponsibly and without any justification other than his authority. Unfortunately, he lies and traffics in conspiracy theories. Those who follow him are exposed to the sanctions of law, while he, as President, is immune from indictment by a DOJ legal counsel opinion. Putin, on the other hand, is in fact above the law in Russia. His values, it appears, are derived from the Russian Orthodox church and his belief in a mythical Eurasia which is a projection of a greater Russia even grander than its imperial past and beyond the limits of contemporary borders. Right or wrong, he will likely retain his power for as long as Russians accept these values without question. Putin can invade a country, have a political opponent assassinated, and never face prosecution. Trump, however, is an American President who is subject to the Constitution and the rule of law. He has no legal authority to rigg an election, to disqualify a fair election, to incite an insurrection, to justify an attack on citizens exercising their Constitutional rights, or to pardon criminals who might incriminate him. He does not have Putin’s unquestioned authority, however immoral its use. Fortunately for America, he is not above the law or our Constitution and can be held accountable for his misdeeds. His amoral swagger cannot replicate the license Putin exercises. He can only be a pretend dictator or Putin’s “mini-me.”

The Fifth Parallelism: both Putin and Trump project an improbably grandiose self-image of themselves as superheroes. They use lies, conspiracy theories, or scapegoats to justify or defend their words and actions.
Trump’s self-promotion is shameless and as preposterous as storied comic book superheroes. He always wins, is the greatest ever, has accomplishments “the likes of which nobody has ever seen,” and mercilessly vanquishes all his enemies. He consistently inundates the airways with this self-image through social media and manipulation of the free press. MAGA is the myth that appeals to his base as a return to the decorum of a privileged society, totally exclusive of Blacks, Hispanics, LGBTQ, and those petulant liberals. He uses campaign style rallies to reinforce his image as the embodiment of all that MAGA promises. Putin also uses public forums to purvey a somewhat more refined self-image of a tsar-like leader who can reclaim the greatness of Mother Russia, overcome adversaries who allegedly threaten its present or projected sovereign territories, and restore its sacred heritage. Eurasia is the myth that justifies his methods and inspires patriotic fervor in his people. Both men lie incessantly in the belief that repetition creates a facsimile of truth in the unquestioning listener’s perception. They both invent conspiracy theories, often conflicting ones that so scramble the field of inquiry that any reasonable explanation is lost in the planned chaos so created. For example, (1) Russia never invaded Crimea. (2) They were invited there to celebrate its declaration of independence from Ukraine. (3) Russian soldiers never fought in southeastern Ukraine where Ukrainians revolted against Kyiv and the United States. (4) And the Russian army is now there to protect the Donbas’ Russian inhabitants. Trump, in like manner, lies with such unrestraint that he overwhelms attempts to track or fact-check his lies. The latest—and greatest—lies concern the recent Presidential election which he termed rigged, stolen, and the “greatest fraud in history.” While Trump ridicules, disclaims, distorts, and objectifies or belittles his detractors, Putin simply jails or assassinates his perceived enemies. While Trump uses right wing news outlets—which includes some Fox News commentators—to silence his enemies and promote his self-interest, Putin uses State-controlled media and the incarceration of journalists to attain the same ends. Both men feel compelled to silence or control the media. They, like all dictators, understand that their greatest enemy is the truth.

As a side note, it is interesting that these men tailor their self-image to the point of manicuring their public appearance. Trump, for example, has his balding scalp hidden behind well-coiffed comb-overs and his face conditioned to an orange-tanned hue. His formal apparel rarely differs and is tailored to hide his obesity. Putin is more concerned with the image he thinks appealing to his subjects. He appears shirtless riding a horse, suited in appropriate gear playing hockey, helmeted on a motorcycle, and so on. He is an everyman—even a man’s man—with whom many Russians may identify. He needs to be admired, even loved. Trump attempts to win over his followers with his manly aggressiveness and identification with their grievances. He needs their votes and is absolutely besotted by the spotlight. His son once said of him, that he was the only billionaire who speaks the language of the “common man,” that is, the hoi polloi whose “soiled” hands he invariably declines to shake. Be that as it may, both men are chameleons. Their fake facades mask quite dangerous predators.

Conclusion
What is the point of comparing Donald Trump to Vladimir Putin? First, it provides an answer to the question raised by the Speaker of the House. Second, it highlights the danger Donald Trump and the insurrection he fomented presented to the American republic. To quote Alexander Hamilton regarding the desire of foreign powers to gain ascendancy in our government, “how could they better gratify this, than by raising a creature of their own to the chief magistracy of the Union.” ³

Ask yourselves: how close did America come to losing its democracy on January 6, 2021; who are the enemies of our democracy; and how must we respond to those who incite insurrection — both within and beyond our borders.

I refuse to believe American patriots would prefer an amoral cult-like leader to transform our democracy into a totalitarian state that serves a privileged class to the exclusion of liberty and justice for all.

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¹ Fiona Hill, “Mr. Putin: Operative in The Kremlin,” The Brookings Institution Press, c. 2013.
² Timothy Snyder, “The Road to Unfreedom,” Tim Duggan Books, c. 2018.
³ This quote is taken from Snyder’s book on page 217. (The quote is uncited, but it probably was sourced from Hamilton’s private letters. I scanned all 52 of Hamilton’s Federalist Papers and could not find this quote. But I trust its authenticity because I trust Tim Snyder as a world class historian.)