Which Roman emperor would Trump be? Mary Beard says Elagabalus is one of the worst in history.

Mary Beard , a British historian and expert on Ancient Rome and 2016 Princess of Asturias Award winner , is repeatedly pressed to name which Roman emperor US President Donald Trump resembles. After a 37-minute conversation with British writer and journalist Charlotte Higgins on the new podcast Instant Classics , she finally decides to answer. Heliogabalus .

Considered by some historians to be Rome's worst emperor—Beard claims his habits make Nero and Caligula "look like kittens"—he ascended to the throne in 218, at the age of 14. In 222, he was assassinated and died embracing his mother during a mutiny by soldiers of the Praetorian Guard of ancient Rome. In her latest book, Emperor of Rome (Crítica), the historian describes the young emperor as "extravagant, imaginative, and sometimes sadistic."

In the prologue, Dinner with Heliogabalus recounts a couple of anecdotes, for example, about mealtimes: menus with food in a single color, delights with camel heels or flamenco brains, or the invitation to "thematic" diners such as groups of bald or obese people. These customs led the author to call him "the lethal host" and, during the audio episode, to assert that "Heliogabalus killed with kindness," before making the match with Donald Trump .

“My God, Mary!” her companion exclaims in surprise. Beard assures us that he’s unknown and that most people will have to Google him . When she searches, the slideshow that pops up shows a teenager portrayed in paintings and sculptures. “Is that the one with the roses?” asks Higgins. She’s referring to the scene depicted in Lawrence Alma-Tadema ’s oil painting. The story goes that the emperor held a grand dinner with a long list of guests. At the end of the banquet, the ceiling opened and rose petals fell. So many fell that the diners died of suffocation, while Elagabalus sat high above the table looking on. “You can’t trust an emperor, even when he’s generous,” Beard says.

Power, ego, and chaos: three concepts shared by Roman emperors and today's leaders, according to the conversation between Mary Beard and Charlotte Higgins in this first 44-minute episode of the program, which premiered on August 28th. The podcast aims to connect ancient history with our current experiences, will release one episode a week, and also features an Odyssey reading club (Instant Classics Bookclub).

Morbid anecdotes about the Roman emperors abound, reflecting their eccentric tastes, habits, manner of exercising absolute power, and their decadence. Hence the interest in the comparison with Trump. Throughout this first installment—in which Mary Beard asks for a glass of wine a couple of times to keep the conversation going—the magnate who holds the presidency of the United States is compared to some of the leaders of the Empire.

They link the parade on Donald Trump's last birthday to the parade of General Pompey, also celebrated on his birthday. They point out that this military parade of tanks is a bit "weak" compared to the Roman setting with its gold and pearls. They recall Tiberius's escapades on Capri with the US president's stays at Mar-a-Lago , his Florida retreat.

Current US foreign policy—with its expansion attempts in the Gulf of Mexico and Greenland —is also being compared to that of Caligula, the Roman emperor who yearned to invade Great Britain. Even the use of his social media platform, Truth, makes the American leader somewhat like Julius Caesar, who during the Gallic Wars would send messengers to street corners to shout out what the emperor had done. It's the same strategy of speaking directly to the masses without going through official channels, as acknowledged in the podcast, "The Tweets of Julius Caesar."

Charlotte Higgins is delighted with Mary Beard's choice and confesses that she'll steal her idea to use every time she's asked the famous question. But to do that, Beard says, you have to practice pronouncing it correctly. And they practice. "Heliogabalus, Heliogabalus."