But most often, he’s compared to Julius Caesar, who in 49 B.C. led his soldiers across the Rubicon, the river marking the border between the province of Cisalpine Gaul and the area directly controlled by Rome. In bringing a legion across the Rubicon, Caesar broke the laws limiting his power. According to the Roman historian Suetonius, on crossing Caesar declared, “The die has been cast.” After five years of civil war, he was declared dictator for life in 44 B.C. and famously assassinated soon after.
In April, as the world economy reeled from U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer posted on X, “Nero fiddled. Trump golfed.” Schumer joined a long history of comparing Trump to ancient Romans. Trump is Augustus concentrating the power of the Republic in a single authoritarian individual, a cruel and capricious Caligula , a demagogue in the model of Tiberius Gracchus or Publius Clodius Pulcher .
In April, as the world economy reeled from U.S.
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