Spoiler alert for anyone who doesn't have a passing familiarity with literature, history, or religion, but any leader who erects a gold statue of himself is never the good guy.
Charles Laughton Reads From The Book Of Daniel: Shadrach, Meshach & Abednego | The Ed Sullivan Show

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@MostlyHarmless Really good guys go for platinum.
@MostlyHarmless good guys (as well as many bad guys) wait until they are dead before someone else thinks they are good enough, rightly or wrongly, to be memorialised with a statue, gold or otherwise.
Someone who arranges for a statue to be erected in their lifetime must be really insecure and also likely very aware that no one would erect one once they were gone.
@MostlyHarmless “The best way to convince people you aren’t praying before a golden idol would be to not pray before a golden idol.”
@MostlyHarmless it just gives the population something to tear down… usually right before the guillotines.
@MostlyHarmless
At this point I think he just gets perverse enjoyment out of doing blatantly dictatorial stuff and having it go straight over his supporters' heads. I believe he has contempt for his own supporters and views them as unintelligent hillbillies who will fall for anything.