It's an alpha male thing: what dominant chimpanzees and Donald Trump have in common

When it comes to US presidents, we expect to see a combination of prestige and dominance. Donald Trump's Twitter tirades and demands for fealty show he prefers the latter - an ape-like strategy for success

From early 1974 through most of 1976, a male chimpanzee named Yeroen held the position of alpha leader in the large, open-air chimpanzee colony at Burgers zoo in Arnhem in the Netherlands. His reign was roughly coterminous with the presidential administration of Gerald R Ford in the United States.

Yeroen became famous (among Homo sapiens) when the Dutch primatologist Frans de Waal showcased his leadership style in a classic 1982 book, Chimpanzee Politics. In their Machiavellian machinations and power games, De Waal argued, chimps turn out to be a lot like human beings.