I asked ChatGPT to come up with parallels between Trump and Joffrey Baratheon. This is what it came up with.

Chat GPT Starts

There are actually some interesting (and often humorous) parallels between Donald Trump and Joffrey Baratheon, the young, unpredictable king from Game of Thrones. Here are a few that might come to mind:

1. Unpredictable Leadership Style: Both are known for impulsive, often erratic behavior. Joffrey’s tendency to make rash decisions without considering consequences mirrors some criticisms of Trump’s leadership style, particularly on social media. Both have been seen as erratic in ways that unsettle both allies and enemies.
2. Demand for Loyalty: Both figures expect absolute loyalty from their inner circles and are quick to lash out at perceived betrayals. Joffrey punished and threatened anyone who dared question him, including members of his own family, while Trump often criticized or dismissed even his close associates if they didn’t show unwavering loyalty.
3. Populist Appeal with Authoritarian Tendencies: Despite very different historical contexts, both have a populist appeal among their respective supporters but are often accused of authoritarianism by their critics. Trump’s “drain the swamp” rhetoric and Joffrey’s brutal way of quashing dissent each highlight a promise of power but with heavy-handed methods.
4. Family Influence and Power: Family plays a huge role for both. Joffrey relies heavily on his family, particularly Cersei, for support and strategy. Trump similarly included family members, like Ivanka and Jared Kushner, in his administration and business dealings, which critics argue blurs personal and professional boundaries.
5. Conflict with Traditional Institutions: Joffrey constantly clashes with the Westerosi noble houses and the traditions they represent, seeing them as obstacles to his rule. Similarly, Trump has often had a contentious relationship with traditional U.S. institutions like the judiciary, the FBI, and the media, frequently challenging their authority and credibility.
6. Thin-Skinned and Vindictive: Both have been characterized as especially sensitive to criticism. Joffrey was famously quick to punish anyone who dared cross him, often with public humiliations and violence, and Trump has similarly been known to respond to critics with strong rebukes and online attacks.

While these parallels are more playful than literal, they highlight how Game of Thrones and political figures can spark conversations about power, loyalty, and the pressures of public life.

Chat GPT Ends

It’s remarkable that AI which seeks to remain neutral can still come up with this. It should tell us a lot that Chat GPT can tell us the similarities between Joffrey and Trump. Both of them owe a lot to the wealth of those in their family who came before them. There’s a reason why PhD historians rank Trump at the bottom when ranking presidents.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/feb/20/presidents-ranking-trump-biden-list

Historians know how to spot a charlatan. They can see when someone’s words are inconsistent with their actions. They can verify basic facts such as Trump University, Trump’s words on the Central Park 5 https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/feb/17/central-park-five-donald-trump-jogger-rape-case-new-york

They can see that he has stiffed contractors and they understand that this doesn’t fit the character of someone cares about the working class. People can see that he has worked to weaken unions. Most historians are pro-union because they can clearly see the way unions contributed to the greatest age of prosperity that the country ever saw.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2016/06/09/donald-trump-unpaid-bills-republican-president-laswuits/85297274/

https://aflcio.org/press/releases/donald-trumps-catastrophic-and-devastating-anti-labor-track-record

Historians have background knowledge that the majority of Americans lack. They understand the southern strategy and the way groups can be scapegoated to win support. They understand labor movements, and depending on their area of expertise they may understand the labor movements of other countries. They can identify what a leader who supports the working class looks like, and they can spot a fake populist better than most of the population. They have historical examples of good leaders and their impacts, as well as bad leaders and their impacts. They understand the impacts of leaders on the economy. People dismiss this information from the historians, as the cognitive dissonance would lead some to question their own knowledge, values, and worth. It’s easier to dismiss experts and believe there’s a grand conspiracy against the man than it is to consider that you’ve been scammed and there are good reasons that many smart people criticize him the way they do.

https://apnews.com/article/virus-outbreak-election-2020-race-and-ethnicity-politics-ga-state-wire-f09ab43bd4232894b0e041f1a5d97f53