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The John Batchelor ShowAuthor: John Batchelor
The John Batchelor Show is a hard news-analysis radio program on current events, world history, global politics and natural sciences. Based in New York City for two decades, the show has travelled widely to report, from the Middle East to the South Caucasus to the Arabian Peninsula and East Asia. Language: en-us Genres: News, Society & Culture Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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S8 Ep229: THE REIGN OF THE EMPEROR AND THE PROBLEM OF SUCCESSION Colleagues Gaius and Germanicus, Friends of History Debating Society, Londinium, 91 AD. In the final segment, Gaius and Germanicus analyze the New York Times characterizing the Trump presidency as a "
Episode 229
Sunday, 21 December, 2025
THE REIGN OF THE EMPEROR AND THE PROBLEM OF SUCCESSION Colleagues Gaius and Germanicus, Friends of History Debating Society, Londinium, 91 AD. In the final segment, Gaius and Germanicus analyze the New York Times characterizing the Trump presidency as a "reign," a term Gaius embraces as historically accurate for the current state of the American executive. Germanicus argues that the American presidency has evolved into a system indistinguishable from the Roman imperial court, complete with "imperial mausoleums" (presidential libraries) and vast building programs intended to project power, similar to Hadrian rebuilding Athens or FDR building the Pentagon. The conversation turns to the 2028 election, with Germanicus comparing Joe Biden and potential successor Gavin Newsomto Roman emperors who inherited the throne, such as Titus or Commodus, viewing them as weak because their elevation was orchestrated by elites rather than won through personal struggle. In contrast, figures like Julius Caesar, Augustus, and Trump are described as possessing a "will to power" that imbues them with natural authority that "selected" leaders lack. NUMBER 3 1793 VIRGIL READING AENEID TO AUGUSTUS
