Trump has often reminded me of freakish Roman emperors, of Caligula and his bizarre sexuality, of Nero and his world-class narcissism. But lately he has been reminding me of Wilhelm II, Kaiser of the German Empire, known in American vernacular as Kaiser Bill.

Kaiser Bill was mercurial, with a minute attention span. He formed enthusiasms from the last person to speak to him on any subject. He was a complete authoritarian. He was hyper-sensitive to anything he could imagine to be an affront. His entourage and cabinet members had to work overtime to “control” his rude behavior and to prevent publication of his crazier statements. He loved ceremonies, undeserved medals, plumes and parades. He was fanatic about making the German navy equal to Britain’s and Wilhelm must bear more responsibility than any other individual for WWI.

So, yes, Trump nowadays often reminds me of Kaiser Bill.