I have recently read The Prince, by Machiavelli, and clearly Mr. Trump has studied it. The book is a study of best and worst practices for rulers newly coming to power. He discusses all different sorts of situations in which a ruler may come to power, for example he notes it could be elected head of a republic or sovereign of a kingdom.
He sets out the scenario that in any political equation, one finds three groups pitted against each other that the prince must balance: The elite, the public, and the military. Elite hate and fear the public (especially when the public is armed - he goes into that!). Elites hate and fear a prince who has support of the people. Thus the military is the central factor. If the military and the people are loyal to the prince, there is little the elites can do to oppose him.
Interestingly, Machiavelli says a ruler doesn’t have to be especially generous to be accorded loyalty. He says the people really only ever wish for one thing: not to be oppressed.
So true. Most leaders in corrupted cultures never get that part. Culturally speaking they believe they must show strength and power to maintain control. So sad.
That’s good analyzing there, ichabod!
Good insights. Been a long time since I read THE PRINCE.