One has to go back centuries and across oceans to find a parallel to the Trump cabal. The expectations and understanding of Trump, his family and his sycophantic followers are summed up well with this:
L'Etat, C'est Trump - the
Atlantic.
Trump “expects people who are serving in his administration to be loyal to the country and to be loyal to the administration.” And he sees no distinction between the two.
How, in our modern age, after centuries of fighting inherited aristocracies and despotic leaders is this still possible?
One potential explanation for this is ignorance. Trump knows very little about how the American government is supposed to work. He once spoke about judges like Samuel Alito “signing bills.” It’s possible he truly did not realize that the FBI Director is not the equivalent of the security chief at a large corporation. He’s supposed to use the law to protect the American people; not to protect his boss.
Another explanation is narcissism.
These explain Trump's overweening ego and attitude well. But what about his followers? Especially those who should know better? For them, I think, it is just about power. They serve their Caesar to serve themselves, just as he does.
