1. Fabricate the Enemy
Invent a foe to rally hate and rage,
declare dissent the traitor’s chosen role.
Divide the crowd, let fury set the stage,
proclaim yourself the nation’s heart and soul.
From “enemy press” to migrants as a curse,
Trump writes the script and plays it verse by verse.

2. Poison the Well of Truth
Confuse the crowd with lies in constant stream,
till fact and fiction blur in daily speech.
Discredit proof, call evidence a scheme,
and make the truth forever out of reach.
“Fake news” becomes the shield for every flaw,
while “alternative facts” replace the law.

3. Cripple the Watchdogs
Call courts corrupt, their verdicts bought for gold,
defund the guards who watch the nation’s gate.
Replace the press with channels you uphold,
where only friendly tongues decide debate.
From Orbán’s bench to Trump’s appointed judge,
the gavel bends to serve the leader’s grudge.

4. Pose as the Persecuted
The strongman plays the victim every hour,
portrays each charge as politics of spite.
He claims the law’s been twisted to devour,
his guilt recast as proof that he is right.
Trump turns indictments into rally calls,
while justice stumbles, choked by legal brawls.

5. Weaponise Emotion
Let anger rise, let fear ignite the flame,
reduce complex affairs to simple blame.
The migrant’s fault, the foreigner’s the same,
a nation’s pride recast as tribal claim.
Le Pen condemns her foes in every speech,
Trump swears his wall will keep them out of reach.

6. Build an Unfiltered Megaphone
Cut out the press, speak only to your crowd,
control the stage, the message and the frame.
State TV sings the leader’s praise aloud,
and private platforms feed the daily claim.
Truth Social mirrors every rally’s roar,
while critics find themselves blocked at the door.

7. Rewrite the Rulebook
Bend laws to strike opponents where they stand,
expand the gaps your loyal lawyers find.
Dismiss the rights that once had shaped the land,
while packing courts with judges of your kind.
Rulers twist codes, so rivals face the dock,
then laws are shaped to fit the leader’s lock.

8. Reward Loyalty over Competence
Promote the ones who bow without dissent,
ignore the skills the post was meant to need.
From family ranks to friends conveniently sent,
the crown rewards devotion over deed.
Trump crowns his kin with offices of state,
Erdogan’s banks reflect a similar fate.

9. Claim Every Victory, Deflect Every Blame
The gains are yours, the failures all miscast,
misfortune stems from forces you define.
The market climbs? You claim the spell is fast,
the slump? A plot by rivals to malign.
The leader takes the triumph, shifts the loss,
and frames each stumble as another cross.

10. Never Stop Campaigning
Elections end, but not the leader’s run,
each week a rally, banners in the breeze.
Merch floods the streets, the slogans never done,
and governance bends low to marketing’s knees.
Trump’s hats outsell his budgets year by year,
the office shrinks, the salesman owns the cheer.

*The Art of the Fall – a reference to Trump’s book title The Art of the Deal