PRINCETON – There is no precedent in American history for a president who papers his image across government department buildings; adorns the walls of the White House with tacky portraits of himself; wants his face on a coin; names edifices after himself (including some already named after previous presidents); and trademarks his name in conjunction with the number “250” in advance of the country’s semiquincentennial. Yet Donald Trump has done all these things, and despite his party’s long-standing objection to “government overreach,” the Republicans have responded by solidifying his personality cult.

© Project Syndicate