People are comparing Donald Trump to Hugo Chávez. That’s mostly wrong.

Over the past year, it has become fashionable to draw parallels between Donald Trump and foreign leaders, especially populist leaders in Europe and Latin America. One of those leaders is former Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez. For example, the San Diego Union-Tribune’s editorial board asserts that Venezuela has fallen apart due to “the obstinance and delusions of Chávez” and that “Trump could be our Chávez.” Others have also made this comparison, including political scientists Javier Corrales and Jennifer McCoy. More…