Trump is not a fascist . . . but . . .
At the outset, let me state my bona fides. I voted for Trump three times. I publicly supported his candidacy back when the media deemed him and his supporters like me stupid racists.
That was back when “Trump is literally Hitler” was the meme of the moment amongst the kind of people who don’t know the meaning of Hitler and don’t know the meaning of “literally.” Which is to say, most of the current mainstream media.
For the record, Trump is not Hitler, not literally or metaphorically, nor is he a fascist.
Contrary to popular belief engendered by the lamestream media, the word “fascist” does not mean “Republican.” Nor does it mean “very conservative.” In fact, Republicans and other politically conservative people are nothing like fascists at all.
Fascism is notoriously difficult to define, perhaps because it is used as an epithet by the ignorant more than as a descriptor by the educated. But most would say it involves a tendency toward, or actual exercise of, strong autocratic or dictatorial control. It also frequently involves forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural social hierarchy, subordination of individual interests for the perceived interest of the nation or race, and strong regimentation of society and the economy.
OK, let’s look at President Trump.
He’s missing the race component. Indeed, many of his political appointments have been racial or ethnic minorities.
Some people would say, “Oh, but those minorities don’t count because they’re conservatives.” To those people, I have a question: So, who’s the bigot here when you’re the one willing to deny the color of a person’s skin because he lacks the “correct” viewpoints that you stereotypically attribute to his race?
The nationalistic component is a closer call. Trump shows little interest in invading Poland or France, but does seem to hanker for a little elbow room up north in Greenland and Canada. Still, forcible conquest doesn’t appear to be on his radar. (But what exactly is the purpose of his conquistador callings?)
As for a belief in a natural social hierarchy . . . gimme a break, the guy’s a real estate developer. If there were a natural social hierarchy, real estate developers would be at the bottom.
Here’s the component that worries me: He doesn’t suffer disagreement lightly.
It would be one thing if Trump shot down disagreement with brilliant argument and nuanced analysis. In doing that, my favorite commentator on the conservative side – or any side, for that matter – was William F. Buckley. He won arguments in such eloquent, understated style that the people he persuaded to his side left thinking they had agreed with him all along.
Trump, not so much. If you agree with him at the outset, he’ll draw cheers from you. But that’s not a persuader; that’s a cheerleader.
As for those who disagree with him, he quickly escalates – or, rather, gutter-stoops – to name-calling, arm-twisting and outright bullying.
There’s a place for that tactic, to be sure. Army boot camp comes to mind.
In politics and people, however, such an approach tends to backfire. You can bully people only so far, and you can’t bully strong people at all.
Moreover, the bullying itself can backfire. For example, how is Vladimir Putin supposed to back down once Trump tells him to? Even the girly-men at Harvard have stood their ground (sort of) once Trump publicly told them to take a knee. The first rule of effective bullying is to do it in private where the object of your bullying doesn’t need to save face.
But this self-pleasing bullying, this autocratic nature, is in Donald Trump’s DNA. Recall that this man took time away from making billions in order to be on a stupid TV reality show where he gloried in screaming “You’re fired!”
The most recent “You’re fired” moment came this week when Trump lashed out at some judges – one of which he appointed – for striking down his tariff program as non-enabled by the laws he’s citing. The judges may or may not be right, but it’s a matter that will be decided by the Supreme Court on appeal, as it should be, not by playground bullies. Meanwhile, calling the judge names is not an effective strategy for a litigant.
The judges that disagree with him are reinforced in their disagreement when he tries to bully them. They have lifetime tenure and no fear of Trump. And the judges who agree with him, give pause. What self-respecting judge (and judges have a lot of self-respect) wants to be known as a Trump toady?
Oh yeah, the Supreme Court. He lashes out at them, too, though he appointed three of the nine. And he lashes out at the conservative Federalist Society for helping him choose the judges he lashes out at. I’m sure he’s just one lash away from lashing out at the people who helped him choose the Federalist Society to help him choose the judges.
Maybe all this plays well with a certain component of the base, and so it’s all clever triangulation by Trump. More likely, it seems to me, he just has the nature of an authoritarian bully.
It’s his greatest weakness. And I will not be voting for him a fourth time.
But he’s not Hitler!
Look, this is quite simple. All of the traits Glenn attributes to "fascism" can be found in practically any form of government. The author of fascism defined it as the conscription of private enterprise into the service of a nationalistic, centrally planned, authoritarian government, ostensibly for the purpose of national security. That's it. Fascism is not liberal or conservative. It is a collectivist ideology and could be considered the right-wing of the socialist spectrum.
It is intellectually and morally impossible to accuse someone who believes in individual rights, small & limited government, low taxes, the Bill of Rights, and an aversion to foreign "adventures" as being a fascist.
Trump is most definitely not a fascist. He is a classic American capitalist with a flair for the narcissistic accoutrements of the Golden Age of the newly rich, New York American Vulgarian. He seeks solutions through win-win negotiations in which both parties co-operate in seeking prosperity. Trump is a ball-buster from Queens. He's a serial exaggerator. That's his style. He can be tremendously generous and philanthropic, but he can be nasty and resort to browbeating in an instant. His negotiating style is always to ask or demand five times what he thinks he can get and then settle at 10% to 25% over the previous deal. He will always over-reach and over-promise, however, he has one great redeeming characteristic: He believes to his core that America can achieve what our detractors think impossible and he always places the interests of America first.
Yes, but he is Donald Trump……
Who else would have the stamina, the drive, the desire, to take on a Government so entrenched in corruption, so infested with crazy DEI ideals, so hungry with greed, solely for the benefit of the American people….. ?