Socrates lived and died for Truth and Law; Donald Trump lives by Lying more and more! That’s why it’s not hard to guess why the Saudi crown prince has chosen to follow the Russian and Chinese road map, or why he has sought to consolidate power instead of sharing it.

Socrates lived his life as an endless examination of what is good and true and right, seeking neither office nor wealth; Mr. Trump is a know-it-all demagogue who treats the highest office as his right.

Socrates served his city as a soldier in war when called upon; Mr. Trump played the system — avoiding military service, exploiting legal loopholes and connections, amassing riches.

Socrates said he pursued knowledge because he knew nothing, and that people had to learn from experts, not follow the crowd. Mr. Trump proclaims himself the best at everything and gives the crowd what it wants; in order to make it his. He belittles experts, even his own country’s foreign service. “I’m the only one that matters,” he declares.

But Trump is also part of the story of Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince. By his own example — through his disdain for courts and for the media, through his scorn for ethical norms — Trump has cast doubt on the Western model.

Trump may even have encouraged the Saudi prince more directly. Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, a living embodiment of American nepotism, visited Riyadh for long talks — officially to promote Mideast peace, but perhaps business and politics came up, too — in the days before the arrest. The image of two princelings, scheming late into the night, makes a textbook illustration of the decline of American prestige and American values, even in a country that is closely allied to the United States.

Only time will tell what the future holds for America and the world as most Republicans remain grounded in their support for the most Treasonous, Corrupt, Self-Centered, Conceited, Pathological Lying Con Man, presently sitting in the “People’s Oval Office. [Credits: NYT; Research; Socrates, Donald Trump, China, Russia, Saudi Arabia]