Americans are experiencing what it’s like to have a president who believes he can act without limits and appears unafraid of facing any consequences, according to a new analysis from CNN.
“In a blitz of recent policy moves, legal challenges, comments and interviews, [President] Donald Trump is showing that he’s shedding the last limitations of custom and the public’s long understanding of how a president should behave,” author Stephen Collinson wrote Monday.
One poor taste move — Trump's AI-generated image of himself as pope.
“Trump's talent for trolling also reflects his hubris and pursuit of ultimate power,” Collinson penned. “A composite image he shared on Truth Social of himself in papal vestments was surely meant to infuriate critics, his acolytes could then mock as lacking a sense of humor — a familiar MAGA strategy.”
The image was offensive to many Roman Catholics. However, Collinson also believes it “is a knowing nod to Trump’s claims of infallibility.”
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What was shocking is the photo being shared on the White House’s X account, “thereby becoming one of the most extraordinary official documents ever issued by the United States government,” Collinson said.
His pursuit of ultimate power is more than just a photo perceived as a joke. Collinson believes his plan for the Army’s 250th birthday, “may be another sign he’s adopting dictator kitsch.”
Historically speaking, modern U.S. presidents have not put on “displays of personal adulation” because it blurs the idea that troops serve the people.
However, according to Collinson, “Trump has wanted such a spectacle since attending a Bastille Day on France’s national day in his first term. But this parade is expected to take place on the commander in chief’s birthday in June.” He later added the "power grabs may also be blunting his political instincts."