"It is almost too on the nose for the aging president to stage gladiatorial bouts and commission victory arches as his armies overextend their power in a futile effort to subdue the Persians," writes Jonathan Chait.

The irony almost surely escapes him. His mind cannot process winning as anything deeper than looking good. The United States may be surrendering its technological advantages to China and allowing its scientific, medical, and bureaucratic skill to decay. But just as Trump slathers makeup on his skin and proclaims himself the healthiest president who ever lived, he measures the country's success in gold leaf.