A dark stormy sky above the American White House. The American flag can be seen on top of the building among the storm and there is lush greenery and a fountain in the front garden.

Caligula on the Potomac Nick Bryant and Gabriel Sherman

  • Talks and Ideas
  • Curious

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  • Run time: 60 minutes Subject to change

From marble republic to political circus – will America ever recover?

Rome wasn’t built in a day. But it didn’t unravel in one, either.

What does one of the ancient world’s most infamous rulers have in common with a modern American president? More than you might think.

Donald Trump has recast the presidency as something closer to spectacle than statecraft, where politics blurs with entertainment, public office becomes personal branding and the White House lawn becomes a stage for literal UFC fights – echoing the gladiatorial games Roman emperors staged to distract, entertain and project power.

How did a volatile New York property developer come to dominate American politics? Join American journalist Gabriel Sherman and former United States correspondent for the BBC Nick Bryant as they unpack one of the defining political stories of our time. 

Together, they’ll examine the politics of personality over institutions, spectacle over convention and whether the changes Trump has made – to the presidency and to American political culture – can ever be reversed. 

The Romans have seen this story before. Have we?

Presented by Sydney Opera House

Event details

I do think he would like to be a dictator... And the worst thing is that we really could have the America that you and I both know go away.

Former NBC Chief Marketing Officer John Miller to Gabriel Sherman, Vanity Fair

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