Trump may see himself in Ahmadinejad but having him lead Iran was a perplexing idea

Key points

• For all their outward differences, there always seemed to be things that linked Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Donald Trump.
• A visit to the then Iranian president’s rather humble Tehran neighbourhood nearly 20 years ago highlighted cost of living problems that prefigured those facing Trump now.
• Amid soaring prices, the grocer at the end of Ahmadinejad’s street in the Narmak district was no longer stocking tomatoes, saying customers could not afford them and voicing a wish to close down.
• Shoppers at a nearby fruit and vegetable market complained at the cost of potatoes, onions and fish.
• It seemed to represent a failure on the kitchen table issues that the populist leader had pledged to tackle.