What makes Trump a fascist.?

@AverageJoe1
Fascism is a far-right, authoritarian, and ultranationalist political ideology that emerged in early 20th-century Europe. It features a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, and the forcible suppression of opposition. Fascism prioritizes the nation (or race) above individual rights and mandates strict social and economic regimentation.
Core Characteristics of Fascism

Ultranationalism: Placing nation, ethnic identity, or tradition above all else, often focusing on national rebirth.
Dictatorial Power: Led by a strong, centralized, and autocratic leader.
Suppression of Opposition: Forcible elimination of political dissent, opposition, and pluralism.
Militarism: A culture that glorifies the military, violence, and expansionism.
Antagonism to Democracy & Equality: Strongly opposed to liberalism, democracy, communism, and socialism.
Strict Economic Control: While allowing private property, fascist regimes impose heavy government control over economy and society.

Commonly Associated Traits

Obsession with Decline: A belief that the nation is in a state of decay, requiring heroic action to restore it.
Cult of Tradition/Action: Rejection of modernism in favor of idealized, traditional values, paired with action for action's sake.
Scapegoating: Unifying the population by targeting specific, often marginalized, groups for the nation’s problems.

Examples and Context

Origin: Originated with Benito Mussolini’s Fascist movement in Italy (1919–1945), deriving from the Latin fasces.
Examples: Italian Fascism and German Nazism are the most prominent historical examples, both of which were destroyed at the end of World War II.
"Ur-Fascism": Scholar Umberto Eco identified "Ur-Fascism" (or "Ur-fascism"😉 as a set of features that can appear in different contexts to undermine democracy, including fear of difference and selective populism.

Fascism is typically seen as a revolutionary force that aims to replace democratic systems, but it also functions as a conservative force in its preservation of traditional social hierarchies.

@AverageJoe
Trump's goal is to establish a plutocratic government, rule by the rich. Many of his behaviors are fascist as I noted in a previous post.
Since taking office in January, United States President Donald Trump has undertaken policy after policy that has shocked Americans and the world. From launching an immigration crackdown and persecuting legal residents sympathetic to the Palestinian people to dismantling diversity and inclusion programmes and assaulting higher education and free speech, Trump has fully embraced far-right agendas. His critics at home and abroad have readily called him a fascist.

But fascism is not the ideology of choice for the US president. Fascist movements varied in their approaches to political and economic issues, but they have had several elements in common: The good of the nation is elevated above all, and the state plays an overarching role in society and the economy.

Trump may be using the language of “America first” in his rhetoric, but he is not really pursuing the “good of the nation”. He is pursuing the good of the 1 percent and his personal wealth.

Trump and his cheerleaders want to go beyond neoliberalism, which maintains that a minimal state is ideal for economic prosperity, and establish hypercapitalism by dissolving any controls the state has over the accumulation of wealth by the extremely rich.

They understand that we are living in times when extracting profit from society is not as easy, so they want to free capitalism from the hindrances of democracy and the demands of the people that their rights – political, social and human – be protected by the law and by the state.

The tech bros that Trump has surrounded himself with have wrapped this hypercapitalism in a technological cover, claiming that technology can solve all woes and unlimited growth – read unlimited profits for the rich – is the only way to progress.

This is clearly outlined in writings produced by the likes of Marc Andreessen, a Silicon Valley billionaire, who penned a Techno-Optimist Manifesto a year before US elections brought Trump to power for a second time. With an almost religious conception of technology and markets, he wrote: “Techno-Optimists believe that societies, like sharks, grow or die. … We believe in ambition, aggression, persistence, relentlessness – strength. … We believe in agency, in individualism. … We believe that there is no material problem – whether created by nature or by technology – that cannot be solved with more technology.”

This view combines unrestrained capitalism with transhumanism – the belief that humans should use technology to enhance their abilities – and an individualistic interpretation of Charles Darwin’s survival of the fittest. It is easy to see that this sharp individualistic vision is the opposite of historical fascism, which prioritises the nation and the community over the individual.

Some may point to Trump’s tariff policies as proof that he has statist tendencies. But if you scratch the surface, you would see that the trade war the US president is waging is really not about “bringing jobs back”, “defending national interests” or reversing globalisation.
Trump is using tariffs as a coercive tool to force various countries into negotiating with him. When he announced a 90-day pause on some tariffs, he himself bragged about 75 governments reaching out to his administration. It is far more likely that these bilateral talks will be used to extort concessions that will favour big capital closely associated with the Trump administration rather than to defend the rights of American workers and to create the conditions for the return of manufacturing jobs to the US.

It is true that Trump has attracted the support of postfascist politicians in Europe and uses fascist language and tools, but that is not enough to brand him a “fascist”. European postfascists, like Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, have themselves veered away from fascist conceptions of state and economy. Meloni and others have readily embraced “free market” policies of cutting taxes for the rich and wiping out social security provision for the poor. Her economic policies differ little from Trump’s.

The US president has fully embraced xenophobic and racist language reminiscent of fascist rhetoric and launched a vicious campaign against immigrants. He does so not only to scare and win over marginalised parts of society but also to divert their growing discontent towards a racialised “other” rather than the wealthy class.

This strategy is working not only because of the growing resentment for liberal elites that the impoverished majority has accumulated but also because the left has failed to act.

Leftist and progressive politicians have condemned themselves to fruitlessly repeating the old right and left cliches, going on tirades about “Trump’s fascism” and debates about the Nazi or Roman salutes of his associates. Engaging in such rhetoric is futile and a waste of time and energy.

Instead, the left should focus on developing concrete strategies to counter Trump’s popularity and hypercapitalist drive. It should go back to the root of problems that ordinary people face in their lives: jobs, healthcare, education and the ever-deepening cynicism about politics. It needs to not only expose Trump for who he really is – a champion of big capital interests – but also to provide a solid, realistic alternative.

@Phranny said
@AverageJoe1
Fascism is a far-right, authoritarian, and ultranationalist political ideology that emerged in early 20th-century Europe. It features a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, and the forcible suppression of opposition. Fascism prioritizes the nation (or race) above individual rights and mandates strict social and economic regimentation.
Core Ch ...[text shortened]... but it also functions as a conservative force in its preservation of traditional social hierarchies.

@Rajk999 said
There is no crime in pulling stuff from Google AI and other AI programs to post here, but at least be honest and acknowledge the source.

Here is an example of how to do it.
Google AI says:

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Passing off AI-generated content as one’s own work is generally referred to as AI plagiarism or AI fraud. This occurs when someone presents text ...[text shortened]... essional creative industries like writing, art, or programming.
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@Phranny said
@AverageJoe
Trump's goal is to establish a plutocratic government, rule by the rich. Many of his behaviors are fascist as I noted in a previous post.
Since taking office in January, United States President Donald Trump has undertaken policy after policy that has shocked Americans and the world. From launching an immigration crackdown and persecuting legal residents sympath ...[text shortened]... eally is – a champion of big capital interests – but also to provide a solid, realistic alternative.

@Rajk999 said
There is no crime in pulling stuff from Google AI and other AI programs to post here, but at least be honest and acknowledge the source.

Here is an example of how to do it.
Google AI says:

**********************************
Passing off AI-generated content as one’s own work is generally referred to as AI plagiarism or AI fraud. This occurs when someone presents text ...[text shortened]... essional creative industries like writing, art, or programming.
**********************************

@Rajk999 said
There is no crime in pulling stuff from Google AI and other AI programs to post here, but at least be honest and acknowledge the source.

Here is an example of how to do it.
Google AI says:

**********************************
Passing off AI-generated content as one’s own work is generally referred to as AI plagiarism or AI fraud. This occurs when someone presents text ...[text shortened]... essional creative industries like writing, art, or programming.
**********************************

@wildgrass said
Why are we asking AI about ethical uses of AI?

This feels like how we ask politicians to write the rules on their own ethics.

@Suzianne said
The old-fashioned word for this is propaganda.

Making this comparison smacks of jealousy because you can't write as well without AI.

@Suzianne said
"We"? Or do you mean "Trump"?

He finally managed to get rid of the ethics committee on his second go-round.

@Phranny said
@AverageJoe
Trump's goal is to establish a plutocratic government, rule by the rich. Many of his behaviors are fascist as I noted in a previous post.
Since taking office in January, United States President Donald Trump has undertaken policy after policy that has shocked Americans and the world. From launching an immigration crackdown and persecuting legal residents sympath ...[text shortened]... eally is – a champion of big capital interests – but also to provide a solid, realistic alternative.

@wildgrass said
Still waiting on you to explain how you think Trump is solving problems.

During the Obama administration, real professionals negotiated for years with Iran. This was hard work, ultimately resulting in an agreement that prevented nuclear proliferation in that country.

Trump tore it up for purely political reasons. It sent a message to Iran that the USA is not a trustwo ...[text shortened]... le, you would say he solved a problem when he recycled all the beer cans that fell out of the trunk.

@AverageJoe1 said
You said”” If Pete Hegseth crashed his car into a light pole, you would say he solved a problem when he recycled all the beer cans that fell out of the trunk

No, we do not think like that. We are pragmatic, we’d say he is a crappy driver and crashed his car.

You would say in so many words that it is the fault of Trump. You know that, I know that, everybody knows it.

@wildgrass said
Nah... the analogy was over your head. I can almost guarantee you will applaud Trump for Iran peace talks when his stupidity created the entire mess in the first place.