Mary Beard Looks at Trump and Sees Roman Emperors

By Mary Beard and John Guida

Professor Beard is a scholar of ancient Rome. Mr. Guida is an editor in Times Opinion.

It is called the imperial presidency. For decades, presidents of both parties have pushed to expand the power of the office — President Trump has pushed very, very hard, and in ways that might leave some people wondering what year it is.

One of the people who may be wondering is the classicist Mary Beard, who knows better than most that wielding imperial power has a very long history. She reflected on how the political realities of ancient times........

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