For the first time in the history of the American Republic a president wasarrested..During the civil war Abraham Lincoln suspended habeas corpus, Grover Cleveland was accused of rape and Richard Nixon oversaw Watergate, but none were charged..The left views Trump as the anti-Christ and will leave no stone unturned to prevent him from becoming president again. The right sees him as a heroic figure as if drawn from Ayn Rand's novel, Atlas Shrugged, set in a dystopian America as its hero saves capitalism..Yet both are wrong.. TrumpPresident Donald J. Trump, at an event in the Rose Garden of the White House. October 20th, 2020. .Trump is more like Henry VIII, who ruled England during the 16th century..Trump and Henry VIII were born with great privilege and wealth. As young men they were handsome, athletic and loved the spotlight. Henry studied the arts and played sports: Trump was sent off to a military academy. Each lost an older brother and had a domineering, successful father whose shadow loomed large throughout their life. They will spend much of their life looking over their shoulder in the hope of pleasing their father and showing him they've built a bigger, more impressive empire..Psychoanalysts say fathers represent the authority figure. They're expected to be the provider, they're associated with power and control. When a young boy does not receive love from his dad in his early formative years, this can create a lasting insecurity that later manifests in aggressive macho behaviour..Written on a pillar on which Henry VII leans is the text inscribed: “The son was born to a greater dynasty.” Henry built 60 palaces, spent lavishly on jousting tournaments, and his court held expensive celebrations to mark how he would rule..Fred Trump was a self-made millionaire who built a real estate business from scratch. He was tough as nails and said to a young Trump, “You got to be a killer and you got to be a king, there is no failure here.”.Trump took his father’s lessons to heart and in the 1970s, New York City was broke and the Commodore Hotel was about to close its doors. Trump seized the opportunity and approached the city with a plan to remodel the hotel. He used his leverage over the city and received a 40-year tax break worth $160 million..Henry VIII was ahead of his time when an information revolution was taking place, driven by the invention of the printing press. He possessed great political instinct and went on the attack after receiving criticism there was a mass killing of women and children in the war with Scotland. He produced inflammatory pamphlets sticking them on doors and letting citizens know they were fables — or fake news. He would create the royal press and use it to distribute his speeches and image speaking directly to his people..Trump would not be president if it were not for Twitter. He made Twitter his howitzer, sending out 3,876 tweets from the moment he announced his candidacy. He worked in a fast and furious way averaging 276 tweets per month, becoming a super heavy user. He often sent out tweets that relied on simplicity: "Build a wall along the border, I alone can fix it, I'm the healthiest candidate ever, crooked Hillary," and a sea of threats facing America to his 88-million followers. His political instinct sensed the nation's underbelly was seething with anger and wanted change..He went on to blow away the political establishment run by entrenched elites: lobbyists, consultants, think tanks, and pressure groups and connected directly with millions of middle-class and working-class people that were being taken for granted..Henry was ruthless in his ambition, especially in his relationship with women. His first marriage to Catherine of Aragon failed to produce a male heir to the throne. He quickly spotted the beautiful Anne Boleyn whose sister Mary had been Henry’s lover. Henry pursued Anne, but she refused to become his mistress and instead became his Queen. Anne became pregnant and the King worked furiously to annul his marriage to Catherine to marry Anne..Parliament passed a series of laws restricting the power of Rome and granting the king his freedom. When Anne failed to give Henry a male heir the story would repeat with Jane Seymour. All in all, Henry had six wives, two beheaded, and countless mistresses resulting in at least 13 pregnancies during a time when it was safer to have an affair with a married woman as the pregnancy could be attributed to the husband..Like Henry VIII, Trump’s sexual proclivities are akin to a bull in a china shop. At least 26 women have accused him of sexual misconduct. Documented stories of his extraordinarily aggressive behaviour in a coatroom, and on an airplane with one of his accusers claiming “he was like an octopus” and even his first wife Ivana used the word “rape” to describe an encounter with him and later said she did not mean the word in the criminal sense..While married to Ivana, he had an affair with Marla Maples who declared on the front page of the New York Post that it was "the best sex I’ve ever had." Although married to Melania, more Trump affairs have been alleged, the most infamous being that with ex-stripper Stormy Daniels. She was paid hush money days before his election campaign, triggering legal battles that may derail his ambition to recapture 'the crown.'.Henry VIII's reign and Trump's presidency were thus both turbulent, full of backstabbing, infighting and endless drama..However, these talented megalomaniacs' accomplishments should not be underestimated. Henry VIII expanded the British military, grew his navy from five to 60 ships, and in the mid-1540s defeated the invading French. He took on the Pope, established the Church of England and finally had an heir. He considered the little boy the “realm’s most precious jewel.”.As a business executive, Trump was shrewd and shark-like in his dealings; feasted on weakness and built a business empire. His savviest investment was the Apprentice TV show where he earned hundreds of millions of dollars and ended contestants' hopes with his fateful catchphrase, "You're fired.".Politically, he changed US foreign policy to focus on the increasing power of Russia and China and the great competition among superpowers. He overhauled financial crime laws to stop money flowing to terrorists, drug traffickers, and other criminals. He installed more judges in the courts in four years than Obama in eight. He cut taxes and until COVID-19 hit, millions of Americans were benefitting from his Make America Great Again policies..Right after his arraignment, Trump spoke from his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida: "I have a son here who’s done a great job and have another one who’s done a great job; and Tiffany and Ivanka," he continued, "Baron will be great someday.".Henry VIII turned England upside down to produce an heir, but the Tudor dynasty would soon end..Only the passage of time will tell whether the Trump dynasty thrives or withers away...
