Bunga party: Trump’s Berlusconi syndrome

The rise of billionaire Donald Trump in the US presidential race has been met with a mixture of horror and fascination. As his campaign, once regarded with derision, continues to rack up successes, pundits are scrambling for some historical or foreign analogue that can shed light on the phenomenon. The most apt comparison is with Silvio Berlusconi, the Italian media mogul who has served three terms as his country’s prime minister. It is not a reassuring model.

Of course, Berlusconi and Trump share some similarities, including multiple marriages and a generally vulgar style. But the most important — and worrying — qualities they share is an ability to substitute salesmanship for substance, tell lies in pursuit of publicity, and intimidate critics into silence.

Berlusconi’s policy platforms, even his fundamental ideology, have always lacked consistency. During his campaigns, he said whatever it took to win votes. During his terms in office, his only agenda was to protect or advance his business interests.

So far, Trump has followed much the same strategy. The question is what this would mean if he were to make it to the White House. The system of checks and balances established by the US Constitution has the capacity to prevent any branch of government from going haywire. But the manipulation of public opinion is a powerful weapon, and Trump, like Berlusconi, knows how to wield this weapon better than most.

Though Italy is well known for low trust in government, Berlusconi managed to numb the popular consciousness even further. He lulled Italians into believing that all was well in their economy and society, when it was not.

How did Berlusconi achieve this? For the most part, he used the joke, the lie, and the smile. When that didn’t work, he resorted to bullying, including through libel suits.

In fact, few media tycoons — Berlusconi owns Italy’s main commercial television channels and several daily newspapers (either directly or through his family) — have ever been as freewheeling in their use of libel litigation to silence journalists and other critics. The famous Italian anti-mafia writer Roberto Saviano referred to Berlusconi’s “mud machine,” with which he would smear anyone who dared stand in his way.

All of these tactics are in Trump’s inventory. Trump is aggressive with his opponents, especially in the media. In his business career, he has invoked libel laws. If he wins the presidency, he said, he will seek to control media criticism. And yet his message is optimistic, delivered with a joke and a smile.

Some pundits who have invoked the Berlusconi comparison have highlighted one distinction between the bombastic billionaires. While Berlusconi certainly has his charm, Trump’s swelling base of support seems to see a certain charm in him, too. Moreover, while Berlusconi possesses business acumen, he has, like Trump, cut plenty of corners along the way.

But what is important is that both Trump and Berlusconi are ruthless and willing to resort to any means to achieve their ends.

Given this, underestimating Trump would be a huge mistake. The only way to avoid Berlusconi-level disaster is to continue criticising him, exposing his lies, and holding him to account for his words and actions.

Too many Italians shrugged their shoulders at Berlusconi’s lies and failings, figuring that he would soon go away, having done little harm. But he did not go away, and he did plenty of harm. The US cannot afford to make the same mistake. The price of liberty, Americans are fond of saying, is eternal vigilance. In confronting Trump, there can be no discount.