lDonald Trump’s return to power marks a historic political change for the United States. This event, although singular, nevertheless evokes the history of Italy, and more particularly the political career of Silvio Berlusconi (1936-2023): victorious in the Italian legislative elections of 1994 before being defeated in 1996 and then in 2006, he returned to the can. in 2001 and 2008.
At first glance, the connection seems incongruous. How can we compare a middle power and the main world power, two opposing political and institutional systems, two economies, two societies, two different histories, two very distant international, economic and political contexts? However, this rapprochement between Donald Trump and Silvio Berlusconi had already been outlined in 2016, with the Italian being the precursor of the American.
In fact, there are analogies between these two emblematic protagonists of the populist phenomenon that has shaken our democracies since the end of the 20th century.my century. While economic and social crises and widespread discontent with politics shook their respective countries, these two billionaires, who had made their fortune in the real estate sector and then in the media, entered politics, one in 1994, the another almost twenty years later, but with the same desire to shake everything up. They are two controversial figures, particularly in their relationships with women; two exceptional communicators on television – then, for Trump, on social networks; two followers of economic liberalism and two fantasy characters, each in their own way.
By conceiving politics as a simple matter of managerial efficiency, both aim to replace traditional mediations, for example those of parties and interest groups. They emerge as new and providential men who will solve all the problems of their fellow citizens with the wave of a magic wand and assure them a bright future.
“Latin lover” and cowboy
To gain power, both ally themselves with the extreme right. In Italy, in the name of anti-fascism, Berlusconi legitimizes and trivializes the neo-fascists and, furthermore, supports them in their evolution towards a right-wing formation, while in the United States, Trump aligns himself with the most radical. Both practice excessive personalization and mediatization of public life, which leads them to speak in simple words. They continually mobilize their followers, little concerned about the judicial sentences that fall on their leaders.
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