It’s always a dangerous thing when autocratic rulers believe that they are on a mission from God. And it’s even more dangerous when they convince their followers to share their delusion.

Here’s a bit from Donald Trump’s inauguration speech, where he portrays his surviving an assassination attempt as divine intervention: “Those who wish to stop our cause have tried to take my freedom and indeed take my life. Just a few months ago, in a beautiful Pennsylvania field, an assassin’s bullet ripped through my ear, but I felt then, and believe even more so now, that my life was saved for a reason. I was saved by God to make America great again. For American citizens, January 20 2025 is liberation day.”..

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