A New Kind of Fascism

[DemocratSinceBirth]

For some years, a variety of news commentators and academics have called Donald Trump a fascist. I was one of those who resisted using that term. I thought it had long been abused by casual, imprecise applications, and as a historian of Nazi Germany, I did not think Trumpism was anywhere close to crossing the threshold of that comparison. I still deny that Trump’s presidency was fascist; but I’m concerned that if he wins another trip to the White House, he could earn the label.

Fascism was most fully exemplified by the regimes of Benito Mussolini and Adolf Hitler. These regimes combined totalitarian dictatorship, wars of imperial conquest, and outright genocide in the case of Hitler (of Jews, Slavs, Roma) or ethnic mass murder in Mussolini’s case (of Libyans, Ethiopians, Slovenes). Placing Trumpism in the same category seemed to me trivializing and misleading.

I argued instead that Trump was more like Hungary’s Viktor Orbán or Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdoğan than Hitler or Mussolini, and should be categorized as an “illiberal populist” rather than a fascist. And in one very important respect, Trump differed sharply from the European fascists of the interwar period.

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/07/trump-second-term-isolationist-fascism/674791/

A Republican is a fascist who knows what he or she is doing.

[bucolic_frolic]

1. "Friendly Fascism" (1980), Bertram Gross. /nt

[DemocratSinceBirth]

2. Fascism with a MAGA face.

[Mysterian]

5. Until they gain power

then not so friendly.

[lastlib]

3. The Fourteen Defining Characteristics of Fascism:

The Fourteen Defining Characteristics of Fascism:

1. Powerful and Continuing Nationalism
Fascist regimes tend to make constant use of patriotic mottos, slogans, symbols, songs, and other paraphernalia. Flags are seen everywhere, as are flag symbols on clothing and in public displays.

2. Disdain for the Recognition of Human Rights
Because of fear of enemies and the need for security, the people in fascist regimes are persuaded that human rights can be ignored in certain cases because of "need." The people tend to look the other way or even approve of torture, summary executions, assassinations, long incarcerations of prisoners, etc.

3. Identification of Enemies/Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause
The people are rallied into a unifying patriotic frenzy over the need to eliminate a perceived common threat or foe: racial , ethnic or religious minorities; liberals; communists; socialists, terrorists, etc.

4. Supremacy of the Military
Even when there are widespread domestic problems, the military is given a disproportionate amount of government funding, and the domestic agenda is neglected. Soldiers and military service are glamorized.

more at link...
Seems to me that modern tRumpists check every single box.....

[rampartc]

4. ummmmm so trump had no "territorial ambitions?

perhaps not for the country, but trump wants greenland for himself.

fascism is a bit too amprphpus to i8se for these 21st centiry cilts of personality."

"illiberal populist?" i still have trouble with the "populist" part, as these guys have no problem delivering for their corporate donors.

trump, orban netanyahoo, putin all meet at least 11 or 12 of eco's 14 points of fascism. call them "authoritarians," although jeane kirkpatrick did enough to confuse totalitarian with authori8tarian to muddle that word as well.