The problem with calling Trump a fascist is that it relatvises actual fascism. It's the "cry wolf" problem.
Evidence of fascism (not an exhaustive list):
- Arrests and deportation of legal residents
- Consolidation of power & undermining checks and balances
- Attacks on media, speech, and dissent
- Purges of opposition
- Rhetoric, demagoguery, and scapegoating of groups
- Using the military against civilians
I also find it troubling. None of that is good. But he's not arguing against democracy.
He literally told Texas to re-gerrymander their maps to make the US House elections in that state even less democratic and help save the GOP majority in the US House. Said it out loud.
That sounds like he's working within the legal and democratic framework of USA. The opposite of fascism. An important feature of fascism is that they argue against democracy. Trump hasn't done that once. When he was crying about the election being stolen, that's a clue that he respects the democratic process. It's also a clue that he's fucking idiot. But that's another matter.
He's not tried undermining free press.
He has pressured both WashPo, CBS, NBC, and ABC. Both verbally and dangling delays and rejections of corporate mergers that involved said companies.
Do you pay any attention to the news?
That's not what undermining the press means. He's more like a petulant child lashing out. I can't see any strategy involved.
The public discourse is heavily skewed to the left. Or was until quite recently. He wasn't wrong about that. That's what he is upset about.
Now it seems like the woke lunacy trend is finally over. It'll overcorrect in the opposite direction. Which will be bad for different reasons. But the basis for his complaints are not imaginary.
What purges of opposition has he done?
They arrested a judge, does that count?
Are you referring to judge Hannah Dugan? As far as I can tell Trump had nothing to do with it. It seems to be FBI, because she did something naughty.
United States, for all its problems is very married to democracy.
Was, "was very married to democracy". But you apparently don't pay attention to any of the news regarding the US to see the rather notable changes in the past 9 years.
Correct. I get limited news about USA. In Europe news is either glorifying or vilifying USA. We rarely get a sober account. So it's hard to evaluate general trends from over here.
A fundamental aspect of fascism is that its got a violent fanclub, given special status, that are protected by the law to run rampant and terrorise people.
Sounds like you are talking about ICE. You know, the people racial profiling, sending some people to a torture prison in El Salvador or some country in Africa, many without due process.
Just stop it. They don't murder people and spread terror in the general population. It's not cool to relativise political violence like this.
I suggest going to torture museums from around the world, set in the torture camps where the political tortures were committed. It'll give you some perspective on this.
That is just not happening today. The capitol rioters were arrested and sent to jail. And it was a one off.
They were pardoned.
Because Trump got re-elected. The QAnon Shaman isn't back to his old nonsense. He retired. The capitol rioters weren't trying to bring democracy down. They were trying to uphold democracy. You're completely confused about what fascism is
Actual fascism is much more sinister and brutal. Iran is a good current example. You cannot criticise the regime from inside Iran. Iran sends agents abroad to murder refugee Iranians who criticise the regime. Its on a whole different level
Correct, Kimmel and Colbert haven't been sent to a Mongolia Dung Mine. However, Trump tried to get both of them fired for not saying nice things. In America, that is somewhat unusual, as fascism hasn't been part of our ethos. Populism at times, but rarely fascism.
Agreed, it's not a great development. But that doesn't make him a fascist. It's more like he's just a regular guy who accidentaly became president and is in way over his head.
He's not even authoritarian.
He has been leading via declaration for a while. Including attacking law firms, media companies, illegally enacting tariffs, illegally impounding Congressional spending, pardoned the J6 rioters, having the DoJ target who he considers his political enemies. He isn't an authoritarian, he is acting authoritarian-lite at the moment.
Sure. It's still right at the top of the slippery slope.
Like Orban, Putin or Erdogan. Who have fascist traits, but are way more cuddly
Wait, you are saying Putin only has "fascist traits"? barbos, is that you?
Putin is supported by a group of oligarchs/gangsters. There's no mass movement supporting him. There's no brown shirts. He just uses the police. He doesn't have a third of the country press ganged into spying on the rest of the two thirds of the country. He's not comitting crimes on his own population and manipulating members of his mass movement (that doesn't exist) to be complicit in his crimes.
Putin ticks a lot of the boxes. But he's still not a fascist.