By In November of 2016, when much of the world was scrambling to make sense of Donald Trump's shock election win, one phrase was repeatedly parroted in office conversations, quoted in think pieces and re-tweeted as a lesson for us to remember.
It came from an Atlantic article by Salena Zito published the previous September which argued: "The press takes him literally, but not seriously; his supporters take him seriously, but not literally."
In other words, the media's satirisation of Trump into a cartoon villain and laughable candidate did not reflect what voters were seeing. It's impossible to know if the media taking Trump more seriously would mean the Oval Office was now occupied by Hilary Clinton, but surely his election would prove to be the last time a right-wing novelty act would rise to prominence and still be dismissed as a joke.
This week a BMG Research poll of the public as published by The Independent showed that Conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg is now second favourite to replace Theresa May, losing out only to Boris Johnson. The research found that "men and voters over the age of 55 in particular" were being won over by the ardent Brexiteer.
Rees-Mogg's 19th Century names for his children (Sixtus, Anselm et al) and stubbornly dated attire (he only wears dark navy double breasted suits) might be funny, but his equally antiquated views on abortion and same sex marriage are less so. The Member of Parliament for North East Somerset has repeatedly voted against equal gay rights, against laws that promote equality and human rights and against allowing terminally ill people to end their own lives.
He has consistently voted for reducing spending on benefits and against paying long-term benefits to those unemployed due to illness or disability.
He follows the teaching of the Catholic church when it comes to the sanctity of marriage and life - stating in a widely-shared This Morning interview that he was totally opposed to abortion, even in cases of rape.
Research from last year shows how out of touch Rees-Mogg's beliefs really are with the rest of the British public, 70% of whom support abortion if the woman doesn't want the child, 77% of whom support giving people with terminal illness the right to end their lives, 67% of whom support benefits for the disabled and almost two-thirds of whom agreed that same-sex relationships were “not wrong at all”.
His views aren't even in line with the rest of the Catholic church, among whom NatCen report seeing an increase, from 33% to 61%, in support for abortion if the woman doesn't want the child between the years of 1985 and 2016.
It's not as if Rees-Mogg has hidden his Draconian views. Indeed, he is proud of them. So why are people so willing to ignore what the Tory hopeful stands for? Is this, as with Trump's election, proof that the cult of personality is winning in politics where reason and rational thought are not.
In Jacob Rees-Mogg's case, he is a confident man who speaks with authority at a time where Britain appears rudderless in its Brexit negotiations. You only have to watch one of the video clips with titles such as 'Jacob Rees-Mogg DESTROYS David Davis on The Brexit Transition Period' or 'Jacob Rees-Mogg politely dismantles BBC interviewer for 23minutes' to see how his fans relish his ability to shut down opponents and talk with clarity and conviction.
He's never caught short or left gasping for air in an interview, the antithesis of stumbling lame duck Theresa May, who ran scared from speaking to the victims of the Grenfell Tower and refused a television debate with Jeremy Corbyn.
When speaking at the University of the West of England last week Rees-Mogg was conveniently caught on video strolling up to protestors and engaging with them instead of fleeing the scene with a security guard. Never mind that photographs later emerged of one of Rees-Mogg's defenders wearing a Nazi uniform, the video clip had already knighted him a hero. “They’re British, they weren’t going to do me any harm,” was how he brushed off the event, as though he was James Bond being interviewed after catching a Russian spy in a car chase.
In an age where politics has moved on from Question Time soundbites, Rees-Mogg is playing the rules of a new game, updating his Instagram with cartoons mocking what an old dinosaur he is or selfies with I'm a Celebrity winner Georgia Toffolo. He knows from watching Boris Johnson - and yes, Trump - that a politician can get away with something as insignificant as believing the wrong things, as long as he is entertaining.
When questioned earlier this month about his political ambitions Rees-Mogg was very careful to distance himself from any suggestion he "wants" to be Prime Minister. Speaking to postgraduate journalism students he said, “I think want is very much the wrong word. If you look at Mrs May, it seems to be quite clear she does it because it's her duty to do it, I don't get the impression that it's a lot of fun for her – it’s hard work.”
If May is eventually forced to resign, will it seem such a surprise that the man who keeps swimming to the top of our 24-hour news cycle steps in to replace her? Maybe it's time to heed the lessons of recent history, and start taking the idea seriously.
