As a man who once likened himself to Jesus, Donald Trump is infamous for his belief that no one is above him.

But unable to achieve the divinity he craves, the president this week took a more earthly approach in his quest for love and admiration after anointing himself as ‘king’. The foundations for Trump’s bizarre claim lay deep in British history and his love for our royal family. He has long had a penchant for gold-plated opulence and the grandiose spectacles of royalty, from lavish balls to towering military parades.

But on Wednesday, Trump – the first convicted felon to enter the White House – took his regal aspirations to new heights. In a post on his social media platform, Truth Social, Trump likened himself to a king while celebrating his administration’s decision to scrap New York City’s congestion pricing plan. “CONGESTION PRICING IS DEAD. Manhattan, and all of New York, is SAVED,” he declared. “LONG LIVE THE KING!”

The declaration, delivered via social media and accompanied by a doctored image of Trump clad in regal attire, has sent shockwaves through Washington and beyond. The image, widely believed to have been generated using Elon Musk’s latest Grok 3 AI chatbot, was first shared by White House deputy chief of staff Taylor Budowich, a loyal Trump operative. Not to be outdone, an official White House social media account soon followed up with another manipulated image: a fake Time magazine cover, replacing the publication’s name with “Trump” and depicting the president grinning beneath a golden crown.

It was a brazen display of egotism, but also one in keeping with the Trumpian playbook. Days earlier, the president had posted a statement on social media that many interpreted as a warning of authoritarian intent: “He who saves his Country does not violate any Law.” The phrase echoed Napoleon Bonaparte, the French military leader whose ascent to the emperor was marked by ambition, conquest and, ultimately, exile.

But after just a month in the White House, much of the American electorate and the world are not comparing his reign to King Charles’s. Given his erratic behaviour, many see him more like George III -afflicted with madness.

Trump himself has acknowledged how unhinged he can be. When recently asked if he would ever use military force to defend Taiwan from China, he dismissed the question. “I wouldn’t have to, because he respects me and he knows I’m f***ing crazy,” Trump said, referring to Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Since returning to power on 20 January 2024, Trump’s actions have gone from the bizarre to the outright dangerous. Barely into his second spell in the White House and already Trump has thrown world order into disarray. In a move that both stunned and worried US allies, this week he labelled Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky a “dictator,” grotesquely twisting reality while defending Russia’s invasion. Meanwhile, he again toadied up to despot Vladimir Putin.

Even more disgracefully, he has falsely claimed that it was Ukraine, not Russia, that started the war, parroting Kremlin propaganda almost verbatim. His eagerness to rewrite history in Moscow’s favour has been matched by his desire to exploit Ukraine’s suffering.

US political watcher Patrick Finn told the Mirror: “Trump’s seeming support for Putin isn’t just about policy, it’s about power. “He has always gravitated toward autocrats and despots because he sees in them a reflection of what he think a leader should be – a leader unshackled by democratic norms, accountability, or the rule of law. By undermining Ukraine and siding with Russia, he’s not just rewriting history to suit his narrative, he’s actively working to dismantle the global order that has kept the West stable for decades.

“His claim that Ukraine started the war and his outrageous labelling of Zelensky as a ‘dictator’ are not just diplomatic missteps; they are calculated moves to justify his own admiration for unchecked power. But the question remains: Is Trump mad, bad, or just plain crazy? Is he driven by delusion, a thirst for chaos, or simply a dangerous obsession with authoritarian rule?”

Even Republican senators, who usually bow to Trump’s every whim, have begun publicly pushing back against his word. Among the most vocal critics was Louisiana Senator John Kennedy, who didn’t mince his words. “Here’s where I disagree with the White House,” Kennedy said. “To the extent that the White House said that Ukraine started the war. I disagree. I think Vladimir Putin started the war. I also believe, through bitter experience, that Vladimir Putin is a gangster. He’s a gangster with a black heart. He makes Jeffrey Dahmer look like Mother Teresa. He has Stalin’s taste for blood.”

Kennedy is not alone. North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis, who just returned from Ukraine ahead of the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion, also rebuked Trump’s revisionist history. “Make no mistake about it, that invasion was the responsibility of one human being on the face of this planet. It was Vladimir Putin in a calculation to go through Ukraine and not stop there, to go through Moldova, to go through the Balkans, to ultimately go to the Baltic states and send the signal to China that now is the time that they can take action in the South China Sea. That’s what this is about, and that’s what we as members have to communicate.” It was a rare albeit growing rebuke of the president from Republicans.

Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen went further. Of the president, he said: “EVERY American should be ashamed by what Trump said today, undermining the Ukrainian people and freedom and democracy around the world. What an American President says matters. And Zelenskyy is not the dictator — Putin is.” Trump has floated a so-called “peace deal” that would see the US take control of half of Ukraine’s natural resources as part of any peace settlement – a brazen act of economic imperialism that amounts to the American colonisation of Ukraine.

However, his land-grabbing ambitions do not end there, as his foreign policy has taken on an almost cartoonish quality. In a move that baffled world leaders, Trump has proposed the creation of the “Gaza Riviera” – a luxury beachfront development in the war-torn region, somehow believing this to be a viable diplomatic strategy. While the Israel and Hamas ceasefire holds by a thread, Trump envisions casinos and golf resorts lining the Mediterranean.

Reviving a bizarre fixation from his first term, he has once again expressed his desire to buy Greenland despite Denmark’s firm rejection of the idea. Even more outlandishly, he has hinted at the prospect of bringing Canada under US control as the 51st State, with sources inside his administration confirming that he is “serious” about the idea.

Domestically, the absurdity has been just as pronounced. Following a deadly plane crash near Washington, DC, Trump inexplicably blamed the incident on “DEI and midgets,” offering no further explanation.

He has also issued an unprecedented 1,500 pardons to those convicted for their roles in the January 6 Capitol riot, including members of far-right militias and individuals convicted of assaulting police officers. Among those pardoned was a man sentenced to 20 years for violent insurrection.

Beyond his domestic chaos, King Con has doubled down on his disdain for international cooperation. Within days of taking office, he pulled the States out of the Paris Climate Agreement, effectively abandoning global efforts to combat climate change. He then severed ties with the World Health Organisation, deriding it as a “globalist scam.” His stance on China has also raised eyebrows – after spending years decrying Beijing’s influence, he abruptly stated he was “fine” with China spying on American children, offering no further clarification.

Despite repeated claims that he is not a dictator, Trump’s rhetoric has become increasingly inflammatory. He has taken to referring to Democrats as “dogs,” a move widely seen as dehumanising his political opponents. Meanwhile, his administration’s draconian policies have left thousands stranded – 1,600 Afghan refugees, who had already been vetted for resettlement in the US, have been abandoned after Trump scrapped America’s refugee programme.

During his first term in office, the world saw a president consumed with power yet constrained – albeit barely – by some seasoned officials who managed, on occasion, to temper his excesses. That era is gone. The guardrails that once existed have been ripped away. This time, the White House is fully stocked with enablers, a rogues’ gallery of sycophants whose qualifications appear to begin and end with their devotion to Trump. In just four weeks, Trump has stacked his administration with figures whose primary asset is their undying loyalty.

Kash Patel, a former Trump aide with a penchant for conspiracy theories, has been installed as director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Tulsi Gabbard, once a Democratic congresswoman, has transformed into a staunch Trump apologist and now oversees foreign affairs. Pete Hegseth, a former Fox News host with no governing experience, has been given a senior role at the Department of Defence despite deeply troubling accusations about his personal life. Meanwhile Pam Bondi, once Florida’s attorney general and now a full-time Trump defender, has been given free rein over the Justice Department.

Under any other president, none of these individuals would be considered fit to run a bath, let alone the United States government. Yet here they are, tasked with steering the country under a leader whose descent into autocracy now appears not just likely but inevitable. And with a Republican-controlled Congress and Senate, little is in his way.

The former reality TV star, long obsessed with his image, has embraced his role as a modern-day Richard III – a ruler convinced of his own infallibility, surrounded only by flatterers and yes-men. The consequences of this unchecked power are already being felt.

The erosion of democratic norms, the abandonment of allies, the brazen disregard for truth – these are not mere missteps, they are deliberate choices. The world has seen this play before, and it does not end well. As Trump continues to blur the line between democracy and dictatorship, his self-coronation feels less like satire and more like a chilling reflection of his second-term ambitions.

With America hurtling further into this political experiment gone wrong, the question remains: Who, if anyone, is left to stop him?

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