Donald Trump speaks at CPAC in 2011. Credit: Gage Skidmore / Flickr Creative Commons

After sweeping major contests in the presidential primaries—most recently, Michigan, Mississippi, and Hawaii—it looks increasingly likely that, barring any dramatic developments, Donald Trump will be the presidential nominee for the Republican Party. But while the rise of a real estate tycoon and reality television star to the most powerful position in the nation seems unprecedented in recent American memory, it’s a trajectory that sounds too familiar to our two guests this week.

Jonathan Katz, author of the book “The Big Truck That Went By: How The World Came To Save Haiti and Left Behind A Disaster,” sees parallels between Trump and former Haitian president Michel Martelly—a former popular carnival singer whose schtick was to get up on stage and do anything. (Sound familiar?)

And Robert Tracinski, senior writer at The Federalist, writes that Donald Trump bears remarkable resemblance to former Italian president Silvio Berlusconi, the popular former Italian prime minister whose regime was brought down by a series of corruption and sex scandals.

Katz and Tracinski sat down with reporter Adam Reilly and WGBHNews.org Senior Editor Peter Kadzis to discuss what can happen when larger-than-life figures take the reins.