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The HBO presenter used an extended segment on strong men around the world to determine if the US president had these same characteristics.
For his last deep dive in 2018, John Oliver examined the rise of authoritarian regimes around the world, identifying three "common traits" that strong men leaders have to make attractive, and then assessing in what These features apply to President Donald. Trump to see if America "is moving in the same direction".
More specifically, Oliver has designated his "main authoritarian traits" as "a projecting force", a "demonization of enemies" and "dismantling institutions".
"Authoritarians love show-offs like military parades, and many authoritarian countries tend to associate their country's national identities with their personal identities, so they also need to look strong," Oliver said. "They often tell their citizens that strength is needed to protect them."
Turning to the tendency of the authoritarian to demonize their enemies, Oliver said: "The authoritarian often strive to identify and sometimes to build a group of criminals they alone can save the country .. The authoritarians need enemies because one of their biggest calls Simplifies a complicated world.If you are attacked or if you feel this, it is nice to let a charismatic individual say: & # 39; Mad rules, mess up the system, I have it. It's an impulse to which we are all vulnerable. "
And if there is no real threat, Oliver said, "strong men will often invent one, often targeting a group initially persecuted, such as immigrants or minorities."
"As powers gain power, authoritarians will try to weaken them," including the press, courts and legislatures, Oliver said.
Oliver then conceded that what he had mentioned was probably "an alarm bell".
Trump, Oliver says, "loves to look strong." He actually wanted a military parade, and to demonize his enemies, he boasted about immigrants and marginalized groups, while engaging in aggressive optional battles against Canada. , the NFL, Mark Cuban, the FBI, Robert De Niro, the 2017 Emmys, Puerto Rico, the Postal Service, an upscale farm restaurant in Lexington, VA, the NSA, LeVar Ball, the City of Chicago, the Mayor of London, the CEO of Merck, Nordstrom and Chrissy – whore – Teigen. "
That, added Oliver, was only "counting the quarrels of Twitter".
He went on to point out that Trump had expressed admiration for the authoritarian rulers and claimed that "Trump's tone on the campaign track was that of a shamelessly strong man".
But what is more troubling, Oliver said, than Trump's authoritarian tendencies, is the support that such behavior has benefited from. "The real worry is not just that Trump sounds like an authoritarian, it's that a lot of people in this country like how that sounds," he said, before airing clips of his supporters praising his strength.
And he argued that it was important to "remain vigilant" to prevent the country from becoming an authoritarian state, which has not happened yet because, says Oliver, "while Trump did terrible things as president, our institutions in general have been up here just strong enough to resist his most authoritarian instincts. "
After citing some examples of threat-resistant institutions, Oliver pointed out that Trump was "testing the system".
"People have to stay vigilant, and that's the key here," he said. "Although we can talk about the strength of institutions, it actually means that people are working very hard to protect and use them to contain the president's worst impulses."
And it will be increasingly important to continue to resist, he said, adding, "The world is wading into something very dangerous and America must be careful."
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