A simile is a metaphor that admits it's making a comparison.

It can be in the form of metaphor, simile, a passionate delivery, or even a simple claim that a matter is unjust.

Erdoğan once claimed that democracy is like a train, in that when you reach your destination, you get off a simile with which Putin would undoubtedly agree. For both leaders, democratic systems are little more than blunt tools that can be used to advance one s personal ambitions, and then discarded at will.