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Is Donald Trump a brilliant businessman and a visionary statesman or is he a bogus billionaire who has been propped up by ruthless deals and Russian money?
In April 1814, Napoleon Bonaparte abdicated the throne of France. By the Treaty of Fontainebleau, Napoleon agreed to leave France, and to renounce all claims by him and family to the country.
The treaty allowed Napoleon to keep his title of “Emperor” and gave him a new Principality to rule: the Mediterranean island of Elba, off the coast of Tuscany and not far from his native Corsica (a pleasant place roughly the size of Martha’s Vineyard, with a craggy coastline and mild climate). Napoleon would have a spacious mansion to live in, a 400-men honor guard and a large staff. As “Emperor of Elba” he would enjoy all the trappings of sovereignty, including a crown and flag.
There is one possible problem, however, as the story of Napoleon on Elba also reminds us. After less than a year in his miniature island realm, the former Emperor of the French grew bored and restless.
He also learned that the new French government, under the underwhelming King Louis XVIII, had already become massively unpopular. So, in February 1815, Napoleon and a group of loyal followers secretly embarked on a brig and sailed away from Elba, dodging the British patrols. Two days later, they landed on the southern coast of France and started marching north.
The French flocked to them, King Louis fled for Belgium, and within weeks Napoleon had arrived in Paris and declared his Empire re-established. It would take a costly new military campaign, and a famous battle in June, for the allies to defeat him a second time, and to bring the episode of the “Hundred Days” to an end. Napoleon would then depart for a second exile, this time as a prisoner of the British army on the tiny, windswept island of Saint Helena, deep in the South Atlantic, where he died six years later.
Following this precedent, why not give President Donald Trump his own (island) realm, and an Imperial title to go with it? The chance to call himself “Emperor Donald I” might satisfy even this most titanic of egos and make up for the humiliating election loss to so called “Sleepy Joe.”
As absolute Monarch, He could ban abortion, immigration and taxes, while declaring gun ownership mandatory for all his subjects. He could even build a new 'Trump International Hotel & Golf Country Club' with a shooting range, fly in supporters to stay there, and then stage rallies with them to his heart’s content.
Emperor Donald, as well, would almost certainly try to stage a return to power at some point. There are already reports that he is planning to run in 2024. Still, the Democrats might not have that much to fear. If the historical parallel holds, His comeback, however dramatic, could be followed swiftly by his Waterloo…
Food for thought!