Donald Trump is widely viewed as a leader who acts on instinct, but one analyst has warned that this approach can ‘backfire’—something she says has played out repeatedly in other governments.
Trump first took office in January 2017 after being sworn in as the 45th president of the United States. That term concluded in 2021, when Democrat Joe Biden succeeded him.
Trump later returned to the White House after winning re-election and being inaugurated again in January 2025. Recent polling now suggests his standing with voters has weakened, with a YouGov survey reporting his approval rating has dropped to 34%—a new low. The decline is being linked to the ongoing war in Iran and mounting anxiety over the economy.
One expert argues the president may be slipping into a familiar political pattern—one that tends to accelerate once it begins.
“I have seen this brand of strongman megalomania and the adverse effects it can ultimately have on leaders and their governments,” Authoritarianism expert Ruth Ben-Ghiat wrote in the New York Times – which she described as ‘autocratic backfire.’
Ben-Ghiat says this dynamic can emerge when a leader distances themselves from professional guidance and honest critique, and then “double down and engage in even riskier behavior.”
In her view, the problem is compounded when leaders instead rely on ‘ loyalists who praise them and party functionaries who repeat their lies,’ which can lead them to ‘believe their own hype’.
She argues the end result is often political deterioration, with citizens who ‘lose faith in their leader’ and influential figures reconsidering whether to continue backing them.
To illustrate the point, she draws comparisons to Russian President Vladimir Putin and Italian dictator Benito Mussolini.
Trump has long been associated with a combative relationship with the media, and he has previously reacted strongly to negative coverage. Near the end of 2025, the president suggested that TV outlets he believes are hostile to him should ‘maybe lose their licence’.
“I have read some place that the networks were 97% against me, again, 97% negative, and yet I won and easily [in last year’s election],” the president said.
“They give me only bad publicity [and] press. I mean, they’re getting a licence. I would think maybe their licence should be taken away,” he said while returning from a state visit to the UK.
The remarks followed reports that ABC suspended late-night host Jimmy Kimmell after comments he made in relation to the shooting of Charlie Kirk.
Not long after, Disney announced the show would be coming back, stating: “We have spent the last days having thoughtful conversations with Jimmy, and after those conversations, we reached the decision to return the show on Tuesday.”