Trump Claims Unlimited Power and Compares Himself to Historic Leaders

In an appearance on "The Axios Show," former U.S. President Donald Trump declared that since engaging in conflict with Iran, he realized that his power has "no limits."

A forthcoming book reveals that Trump entertained the idea that he might be the most powerful man in history. Rather than merely testing presidential boundaries, he frames power in global historical terms, placing himself alongside conquerors, tyrants, and strong leaders who imposed their will on nations, according to Axios.

During a 45-minute interview with Mark Caputo of Axios, Trump repeatedly measured power by the degree of submission from others. He mentioned that G7 leaders believed him when he joked, "I am the president (I am the leader)," and said Israel holds him in "great respect" and will "do what he says."

The book "Regime Change," authored by Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan of The New York Times and set to be published Tuesday, includes a document Trump proudly reviewed that argues he is more powerful than Attila the Hun, Genghis Khan, Napoleon, Mao Zedong, and Hitler.

The authors wrote that Trump "began reading from it," listing some of history's most powerful figures and explaining how "none of them reached his level of power as president of the United States," as he described it.

Trump commented on Alexander the Great, emperors, and William the Conqueror, noting, "They didn't have airplanes, right? They couldn't travel around." He spoke about Napoleon with "passion and relish," according to the authors.

Haberman and Swan highlighted the "obvious enjoyment" Trump showed in making the comparison and his "untroubled acceptance" of a place among men who reshaped the world through conquest and fear.

Hints of this grandiose view of power appeared throughout Trump's Axios interview, which took place hours after his return from what he described as a "very dominant" G7 summit in France.

Trump named Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the world leaders he admires most, praising Xi as someone "completely focused on hard work" and Modi as "very tough and stubborn." He declined to identify leaders he considers weaker.

Trump dwelled extensively on French President Emmanuel Macron's decision to honor him with a dinner at the Palace of Versailles, a type of imperial spectacle Trump described as "his weakness."

In Trump's account, allies only matter when they acknowledge who holds real power.

He told Axios, "Without me, Israel wouldn't exist today," adding that his relationship with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is "good, but we have to keep him a little bit sane."

Trump adopted a similar tone toward Republican hardliners furious over his Iran deal, stating, "Some men I used to respect, I don't respect now. They are hardliners."