Trump’s Democratic Fascism

Donald Trump is leading a fascist movement.

I have no idea if he is a fascist. I have no idea if he believes half — let alone, all — the things he says. I have no idea if he even has the background to realize he’s going down the road of fascism. But he is…

Because more importantly, Trump’s supporters — or at least a significant and vocal number of them — want him to be a fascist. It’s not that they just want him to be a strongman. It’s not that they just want him to be a racist. It’s not that they just want him to “make America great again” by restoring some mythical national ideal. The rhetoric from self-proclaimed Trump supporters is that of overthrowing of the political status quo.

Donald Trump is leading a fascist movement.

Back in December, when more prescient minds were comparing Trump to Mussolini, Vox attempted to Voxsplain how Trump isn’t an actual fascist. Today they published how Trump isn’t a fascist, he’s simply a demagogue. But here’s the problem: of course he’s a demagogue. That’s not in question. His whole life, Trump’s entire business model is to be a demagogue — if anything, that’s what we knew we were getting from the start. It’s the turn toward fascist policies that necessarily changes the discourse.

Assuming “fascism” has a coherent set of policy goals, they are focused on the militarization of a nativist nation-state.

Things Donald “Totally Not a Fascist” Trump advocates:

• Almost dictatorial use of executive power. (This is a cult of personality, after all.)
• Rewriting libel laws so that he can more easily silence dissent and opposition.
• Halt all immigration of Muslims (and maybe, y’know, kinda, sorta keep a database…)
• Fundamentally alter the role of America in world affairs by withdrawing from military alliances and abandoning our allies across the globe.
• Build a super-duper high wall on the southern border (and magically make the Mexican government pay for it).
• Impose protectionist trade policies as a form of petty bullying with other nations he doesn’t like.
• Make the military “so strong, nobody’s gonna mess with us.” (Paradoxically, this will cost less, using Trump-rithmatics.)

Did I mention that he is the leading voice of the paranoid racists called Birthers?

Oh, and he’s an overt sexist, who is running a campaign of performative male dominance. (Spoiler: he’s been signalling that Rubio’s gay and effeminate for months.)

Donald Trump is leading a fascist movement.

Now, the key part of this “debate” — assuming there is one — is that fascism explicitly rejects both liberal democracy and communism as governing models. So since Trump is running for President, not marching for President, he can’t be really leading a fascist movement, right?

The equivocation isn’t wrong — he’s not openly calling for a rejection of democracy. Trump is trying to lead a democratic movement to fundamentally change the political status quo (see above). Just like Bernie Sanders. The entire Sanders campaign is built upon the idea of a democratic movement to fundamentally change the political status quo.

Bernie Sanders and #TheBernUnit try to explain that his Democratic Socialism isn’t really Socialism because democracy. Should we accept the same rationale that Democratic Fascism isn’t really Fascism because democracy?

Donald Trump is leading a fascist movement.

Is Trump merely a “right-wing populist” like the UKIP and France’s National Front? When Marine Le Pen endorses Trump the same week as David Duke, should we draw arbitrary lines in the sand and pretend it means nothing?

Donald Trump admiringly quotes Mussolini. Donald Trump advocates war crimes. Donald Trump wants to “open up” libel laws to suppress free speech and journalism. Donald Trump plays footsie with racist rhetoric and racist organizations. His entire message is that of nativist supremacy.

When Max Boot — yes, chickenhawk imperialist Max Boot — calls you a fascist, you might want to reconsider some things.

If the talking heads want to spend their time quibbling over whether Trump is a “fascist” or a “right-wing populist,” that’s fine. But they’re enabling him by attempting to categorize evil instead of fighting it. Arguing over whether Trump’s overt appeal to white nationalism is only racist populism, is missing the point.

Donald Trump is leading a fascist movement.

And it needs to be stopped.

Happy voting, everyone.