Any effort to classify Trump’s tactics should grapple with the history. Donald Trump is historically unusual for an American president, and often unprecedented, in his behavior. That’s often — though not always — a bad thing. But if one is going to write on the subject of how Trump violates American norms and resembles foreign autocrats, it would be nice to show at least some understanding that American history did not begin in 2025. One need not absolve Trump in order to...