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Draft:Donald Trump and fascism

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Not to be confused with Trumpism.
A protestor with a sign describing Donald Trump as a fascist

There has been significant academic and political debate over whether Donald Trump, the 45th president of the United States, qualifies as a fascist. Critics of Trump have drawn comparisons between him and fascist leaders over certain ideas espoused, such as right-wing populism and opposition to immigration, while supporters of Trump have accused critics of using the term as an insult rather than making legitimate comparisons.

[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12]

Background

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Donald John Trump is an American businessman and politician who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2020.[13] He is currently running as the Republican Party's candidate in the 2024 United States presidential election.[14]

Fascism is an ideological term which refers to a broad set of aspirations and influences which emerged in the early 20th century, exemplified by the European dictators Benito Mussolini, Adolf Hitler, and Francisco Franco; and include elements of nationalism, enforcement of social hierarchies, hatred towards social minority groups, opposition to liberalism, the cult of personality, racism, and the love of militaristic symbols.[15] According to the anti-fascist and socialist writer George Orwell, the term fascist is rendered meaningless in common parlance by its frequent use as an insult.[16]

Comparisons

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A yellow painting of the faces of Donald Trump and Adolf Hitler blended into one.
Double face, Donald Trump and Adolf Hitler by Peter Klashorst, 2016.

Nationalism

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Racism

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Cult of personality

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Anti-democratic sentiment

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During his 2016 campaign, Trump made it apparent that he would not accept the results of the 2016 United States presidential election if he did not win, preemptively claiming that he could only lose due to electoral fraud.[1] Following his defeat by Joe Biden in the 2020 United States presidential election, Trump and other Republicans tried to overturn the results, making widespread false claims of fraud.[17] Due to these false claims, in addition to the January 6 United States Capitol attack that Trump allegedly incited, political opponents have labeled Trump as a "threat to democracy".[18][19]

January 6 Attack and the Beer Hall Putsch

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The attack on the United States capitol by supporters of Donald Trump on January 6, 2021 has been compared by left-wing academics to the Beer Hall Putsch,[20] a failed coup attempt in Germany by Nazi leader Adolf Hitler against the Weimar government in 1923.[21]

Connections to self-identified fascists

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In the 2016 United States presidential election, Trump was supported by multiple self-described Nazi or fascist groups, including the National Socialist Movement and Ku Klux Klan. These groups engaged in voter intimidation by monitoring polling locations, claiming to have done so both "informally" and "through the Trump campaign".[22] Trump has also been endorsed by self-identified Nazis such as David Duke[23] and Mark Robinson,[24] that latter of whom Trump compared to Martin Luther King Jr..[25]

Invocation of the comparison

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Among those opposed to Trump

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Those opposed to Trump have often used the term during political protests and rallies...

Among those who support Trump

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Criticism of the comparison

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Conservative commentators such as Ben Domenech, Roger Kimball, and Miranda Devine have criticized the characterization of Trump as a "threat to democracy", in particular claiming that such claims directly influenced the two assassination attempts against Trump in 2024.[19] Additionally, Trump's advisor Stephen Miller stated that Kamala Harris should "take accountability" for violence allegedly caused by comparisons drawn between Trump and Nazism.[26]

See also

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Comparison of Donald Trump with Nazism or fascism.

References

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  1. ^ a b Runciman, David (2024-09-21). "Is Donald Trump a fascist?". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-09-21.
  2. ^ "The new nationalism". The Economist. ISSN 0013-0613. Retrieved 2024-09-21.
  3. ^ "The growing peril of national conservatism". The Economist. ISSN 0013-0613. Retrieved 2024-09-21.
  4. ^ "Trump, fascism, and the construction of "the people": An interview with Judith Butler". Verso. Retrieved 2024-09-21.
  5. ^ "Noam Chomsky: Trump Has Revealed the Extreme Fragility of American Democracy". Global Policy Journal. Retrieved 2024-09-21.
  6. ^ Lempinen, Edward (2020-12-07). "Despite drift toward authoritarianism, Trump voters stay loyal. Why?". Berkeley News. Retrieved 2024-09-21.
  7. ^ Ibish, Hussein. "Is Donald Trump's US sliding towards illiberal democracy?". The National. Retrieved 2024-09-21.
  8. ^ "Trump's bid to stop the count risks turning America into an 'illiberal democracy' like Turkey | Patrick Cockburn". The Independent. 2020-11-04. Retrieved 2024-09-21.
  9. ^ "The Republican party is now an explicitly illiberal party". The Guardian. 2021-06-08. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-09-21.
  10. ^ Benjamin, Rich (2020-09-27). "Democrats Need to Wake Up: The Trump Movement Is Shot Through With Fascism". The Intercept. Retrieved 2024-09-21.
  11. ^ Mcgaughey, Ewan (2018-12-31). "Fascism-lite in America (or The Social Ideal of Donald Trump)". British Journal of American Legal Studies. 7 (2): 291–315. doi:10.2478/bjals-2018-0012.
  12. ^ Cruz, Abby. "Cornel West claims there are 'crypto fascist elements' of Democratic Party and GOP is Trump-'hijacked' as he courts donors". ABC News. Retrieved 2024-09-21.
  13. ^ Panton, Kenneth J. (2022-08-23). "Trump, Donald John". Historical Dictionary of the United States. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-1-5381-2420-8.
  14. ^ Zurcher, Anthony (2024-09-11). "US election 2024: A really simple guide to the presidential vote". BBC News. Archived from the original on 2024-09-21. Retrieved 2024-09-21.
  15. ^ Blackburn, Simon (2016). "fascism". A Dictionary of Philosophy (3rd ed.). Oxford University Press. Retrieved 2024-09-21.
  16. ^ Orwell, George (1944). "What is Fascism?". Tribune. Retrieved 2024-09-21.
  17. ^ "Trump tries to leverage power of office to subvert Biden win". AP News. 2020-11-21. Retrieved 2024-09-21.
  18. ^ Acemoglu, Daron (2024-08-30). "The Trump Threat to Democracy Has Only Grown | by Daron Acemoglu". Project Syndicate. Retrieved 2024-09-21.
  19. ^ a b Chait, Jonathan (2024-09-16). "Donald Trump Is a Threat to Democracy, and Saying So Is Not Incitement". Intelligencer. Retrieved 2024-09-21.
  20. ^ Nichols, Bradley; Guettel, Jens-Uwe; Hake, Sabine; Kucik, Emanuela; Stern, Alexandra Minna; Wiesen, S. Jonathan (2022). "A Reusable Past: The Meaning of the Third Reich in Recent U.S. Discourse". Central European History. 55 (4): 551–575. doi:10.1017/S0008938922001364. ISSN 0008-9389.
  21. ^ Kerr, Anne; Wright, Edmund (2015). "Munich 'beer-hall' putsch". A Dictionary of World History (3rd ed.). Oxford University Press. Retrieved 2024-09-21.
  22. ^ Schreckinger, Ben (November 2, 2016). "White nationalists plot Election Day show of force". Politico.
  23. ^ Osnos, Evan (2016-02-29). "Donald Trump and the Ku Klux Klan: A History". The New Yorker. ISSN 0028-792X. Retrieved 2024-09-21.
  24. ^ Narea, Nicole (2024-09-20). "Will the Mark Robinson revelations tank Republicans in a key battleground state?". Vox. Retrieved 2024-09-21.
  25. ^ Bradner, Eric (2024-09-21). "Trump rallies in North Carolina as controversy engulfs his handpicked candidate for governor | CNN Politics". CNN. Retrieved 2024-09-21.
  26. ^ Samuels, Brett (2024-09-16). "Anti-Trump rhetoric comes under scrutiny after golf course threat". The Hill. Retrieved 2024-09-21.
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