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Donald Trump’s tactics are disturbingly similar to those of actual dictators

Updated by Amanda Taub on March 21, 2016, 11:10 a.m. ET ?

Donald Trump has long been the career coach America didn’t ask for, instructing the country on the finer points of business leadership by bellowing advice and insults at the hapless MBAs who competed on his reality TV show.

But now that the Donald has made a career shift, abandoning the boardroom in favor of the campaign trail, he could use some role models of his own. In fact, one could be forgiven for thinking that he's already found them: Whether Trump is aware of it or not, he appears to be increasingly following the unwritten playbook of tricks used by dictators and autocratic leaders the world over.

In recent weeks, Trump has been acting — consciously or not — like a contestant on The Dictatorship Apprentice. Recognizing those tactics helps explain what he's doing and why it often seems to work so well for him. And the reverse is also true: The fact that Trump is borrowing so liberally from the autocratic regimes tells us a lot about why these strategies are appealing for would-be strongmen the world over.

But no matter how popular Trump might become or what he might do, no one thinks he could become the next Manuel Noriega or Mohammed Zia al-Haq. And that gets to another, more reassuring lesson here: America’s norms and institutions make these strategies a lot less effective here than they might be in, say, Panama or Pakistan.

Trump can borrow from the dictator’s playbook, but that playbook is much less effective here:

Rule 1: Wink at violent supporters to intimidate the opposition

Rule 2: Tell your supporters that your political opponents are enemies of the state

Rule 3: Intimidate or co-opt journalists to ensure positive coverage

Rule 4: Use strict libel and sedition laws as weapons

Rule 5: Hint that if the election doesn’t go your way, your supporters will respond violently

When the dictator's playbook doesn't work in America

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http://www.vox.com/2016/3/21/11275978/trump-dictator-tactics