Authoritarianism expert warns Trump is repeating the same mistakes that doomed dictators

A leading scholar of authoritarianism is warning that Donald Trump is already falling into the same self-destructive traps that doomed history’s most notorious strongmen. Writing in The New York Times, NYU professor Ruth Ben-Ghiat argues Trump’s growing fixation on personal infallibility, loyalty over competence, and performative bravado mirrors patterns seen in figures like Benito Mussolini and Vladimir Putin — patterns that often end in political collapse. As Trump brushes aside expert advice, doubles down on unpopular priorities, and reacts angrily to waning public support, Ben-Ghiat says the signs of “autocratic backfire” are flashing red. Unlike past dictators, Trump still operates within a democracy, leaving him exposed to courts, voters, and history itself — and making his unraveling more likely, not less.

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