> worship of a single person, personal loyalty triumphing over competence, and the Chinese economic machine, subject to whims of a single person, seems to be slowing down.

The whole world is swinging in that direction. its not like the US is any better in that respect in our current political climate.

The difference is that in the US there is plenty of criticism or, and open opposition to, the leader, or to any leader. You have courts that will restrain the government (as with the recent ruling on birthright citizenship).

I suspect Trump would like to be worshipped, but he is not being very successful at getting it outside a small group.

I would say that is swing as already over and the US was a late comer to the trend. Of the ur-strongmen of the democratic world, Orbán just got the boot and Erdogan's genuine popularity peak is also long over, although he might be able to hold on power by simply hijacking the state and jailing his opponents. And there are quite obvious marks of Trump fatigue on the non-MAGA American right as well.

The one genuinely popular populist leader who seems to be holding is Modi in India.