The brutal reality of succession: what the Romans can teach us about Trump and Biden
Donald Trump and his hardcore supporters have exposed what the Romans knew all too well, that power is in some ways a fight to the end
20 January 2021 • 6:00am
The one question that as a classicist I have been asked most these past four years is which Roman emperor Donald Trump is like. And, with the recent US presidential election and Wednesday’s inauguration of Joe Biden, I am now getting the same request about him.
What I always reply is that we can learn about ourselves from thinking about Ancient Rome – but it doesn’t offer nice off-the-peg comparisons. So when I watch – with some trepidation given the events of recent weeks – the inauguration on a Capitol Hill full of classical resonances, I will be weighing up how a modern democracy like the United States deals with the inevitably messy, brutal business of succession next to how the Romans handled it.
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2-MIN READ I Will Be President for All Americans : Joe Biden Calls for Unity on Day of History And Hope
Joe Biden takes the oath of office during the 59th presidential inauguration on Saturday at the US Capitol in Washington, DC. (AFP)
On a frigid but sunny day at the Capitol building assaulted on January 6, Biden swore the oath of office moments after Kamala Harris, who became America s first woman vice president, turning the page on Donald Trump s tumultuous four years.
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America s Inauguration Day: Fascinating facts you might not know of US Presidents swearing-in events Updated Jan 20, 2021 | 13:29 IST
President Lincoln s VP took oath in a state of drunken stupor due to heavy meds that contained whiskey as he was suffering from typhoid. First President Washington borrowed money to travel to own inauguration. America s Inauguration Day: Fascinating facts you might not know of US Presidents swearing-in events | Photo Credit: iStock Images
Key Highlights
The inauguration day is not just the swearing-in ceremony for the newly elected US president and vice-presient
It is also about the inaugural ball and the various ceremonies that take place on the inauguration day