A quote from a novel published 2006 that sums up Trump etal.

[TexasProgresive]

This is from Ian Rankin's The Naming of the Dead.

Tyrants and politicians alike feared the selfsame thing, whether they belonged to the underworld or the overworld. The day would come when no one listened to them anymore, their orders ignored, reputation diminished. New challenges, new rivals and predators. Cafferty (the gangster) probably had millions stashed away, but a whole fleet of luxury cars was no substitute for status and respect.