Trump spreading MAGA 'personality cult' across the world with one key change: analysis

Donald Trump is pushing the MAGA "personality cult" across the world with one key change, according to a political analysist.

CNN correspondent Stephen Collinson believes the Trump administration has been all too obvious with their spread of MAGA beliefs on the world stage. The president, he argues, "doesn't bother with pretense" when it comes to sharing what he believes is the best course of action in world politics.

Collinson wrote, "Most presidents profess not to interfere in other countries’ domestic politics and elections — despite decades of nefarious US political game-playing abroad. President Donald Trump doesn’t bother with the pretense."

"A leader who transformed the Republican Party into a partial personality cult and whose every life experience seems to involve the flexing of leverage doesn’t stop at the water’s edge."

The columnist would go on to suggest countries where the Trump name is popular is where he can best exhibit his "great political influence". Collinson shared, "In his second term, Trump is acting as the global head of a nationalist political movement, seeking to shape partisan politics in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Honduras, South Korea, Venezuela, South Africa and across the Atlantic."

"In most cases, Trump promoted leaders and candidates who favor his populist nationalism, those who flatter him, or who face legal battles that mirror his own."

"On Monday, he plunged yet again into the politics of Israel, where he is highly popular and thus enjoys great political influence ahead of a general election expected next year."

Trump has pushed back on what is expected of a sitting president when it comes to world politics, Collinson argues, by being so hands on with countries and their elections.

He wrote, "American presidents have traditionally balked at being seen to overtly interfere in the politics of foreign nations. To start with, it’s bad manners. And few presidents would enjoy the favor being returned to help their political opponents."

"The Trump administration, however, rarely stops trying to shape foreign politics for its own gain. Last week, for instance, Honduras announced that the conservative National Party candidate Nasry Asfura had won a tight presidential election."

"Trump had warned there’d be “hell to pay” if Asfura didn’t emerge from a prolonged counting process as the winner. Trump has repeatedly sought to use US power to shape the politics of the Western Hemisphere in his populist image."