In claiming the election was “stolen” from him and using the office of the president to the benefit of his family, Trump dips into the authoritarian playbook to convert power into property.
For centuries, people thought nothing of crowding family members or friends into the same bed.
miniwide/Shutterstock.com
Brian Fagan, University of California, Santa Barbara
Today’s beds are thought of as bastions of privacy. But not long ago, they were the perches from which kings ruled and places where travelers hunkered down with complete strangers.
Louis XIV ‘confesses his sins’ to Pere de la Chaize, 1694.
Anon
At the Versailles court, a well-directed glance could decide a person’s fate. Imagine if Donald Trump were so subtle.
US President Donald Trump, flanked by Senior Advisor Jared Kushner (standing, L-R), Vice President Mike Pence, Staff Secretary Rob Porter and Chief of Staff Reince Priebus - in front of the new Oval Office gold curtains.
Jonathan Ernst/Reuters
Yellow-gold, swagged curtains have appeared in the Oval Office. But if Donald Trump wants to emulate the Sun King, he would be advised to look to contemporary artists and designers for inspiration.
The Hall of Mirrors at Versailles Palace.
Benoit Tessier/Reuters
Donald Trump has a Versailles-inspired apartment. There’s a popular TV series and now, a new exhibition of treasures from the palace. A glittering symbol of aristocratic frivolity, Versailles was, in fact, a place of awesome royal power.