I recently re-read Isaac Asimov’s  Foundation Trilogy. Here is my review.

There is a key character that appears in book 2 of the trilogy, called “the Mule.”

This is a mutant human, who has the ability to control other people’s emotions. He can inflict joy, pleasure, but also grief, sadness and pain. By influencing people’s emotional lives, he controls them. Within just a few years of discovering his power, he becomes the master of the universe. He conquers fleets, planets, and eventually becomes the ruler of the entire Empire, all within a span of just about 10 years.

The Mule is so successful because he is unique  (a mutant) and unlike anyone else. Nobody saw him coming, nobody predicted him, and there were no defenses against him. When humanity figured out what was going on, it was too late. They were all under his control.

Eventually, the Mule died and there was no successor. Nobody like him was around, and gradually the world regained its former balance – politics as usual.

Donald Trump is the Mule.

If you have read the Foundation Trilogy, you will know what I mean.