Fascists do not announce that they are fascists. Often, they downplay the label, claiming they are anything but. Even so, it’s not an announcement or declaration that makes a leader a fascist; it’s the things they do and say.
So, based on the things he does and says, is Donald Trump a fascist? You be the judge.
In the two months since he became the 47th President of the United States, Donald Trump and/or his administration has (in no certain order):
- Ignored judicial orders
- Demonized judges and called for their impeachment
- Illegally eliminated Departments and Agencies
- Illegally created a “Department” to do his bidding outside of the law
- Illegally fired government employees
- Abandoned allies and cozied up to dictators
- Empowered an unelected, unconfirmed billionaire to take criminal actions
- Rewarded his friends and punished his enemies
- Disappeared 48 ICE detainees
- Deported 300 asylum-seeking immigrants to Panama (although none of them are from Panama)
- Deported people without due process (in some cases contrary to existing law and court orders)
- Turned the Guantanamo Bay Military Outpost into a prison camp largely outside the reach of the American judicial system
- Cracked down on free speech that he disagrees with, black-bagging and disappearing a Columbia University graduate student who is in the country legally
- Issued an Executive Order ending birthright citizenship, disregarding the Constitution and Supreme Court precedent
- Issued EOs that disfavor trans Americans, including forbidding them to serve in the military
- Defunded higher education, cutting funding for colleges and universities that disagree with him or who have policies or programs he doesn’t like.
- Done away with legal protections for minorities and other marginalized groups
- Nominated clearly unqualified white males (and a few females) to his cabinet. For all of them, their strongest qualification seems to be that they will carry out Trump’s orders without question, even if illegal
- Attacked the press, claiming certain outlets are illegal and/or should be shut down because of their criticism of him. Other media organizations have been prohibited from attending WH press briefings or using the press facilities at the WH
- Deleted links to black, Hispanic, and women veterans (including Medal of Honor recipients) interred at Arlington National Cemetery under the guise of DEI
- Deleted the Pentagon webpage about Ira Hayes, a Native American who raised the flag at Iwo Jima, again, under the guise of DEI
- Fred the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Commandant of the Coast Guard, the Chief of Naval Operations, the vice-chief of the Air Force, and the top JAG lawyers for the Army, Navy, and Air Force, replacing them with loyalists.
- Ignored laws he doesn’t like (ignoring the wishes of Congress in the process)
- Ignored the Emoluments Clause of the Constitution, accepting gifts and business from foreign governments
- Purposely violated the Hatch Act by promoting the sale of Tesla cars at the White House on behalf of its owner, and his biggest financial supporter, Elon Musk
- Rescinded the ban on segregated facilities for federal contractors (Welcome back, segregated lunch counters and water fountains).
- Pardoned 1500 people who pled guilty or were convicted by a court, for participating in the January 6 insurrection on the Capitol. Some of these people were convicted of violent crimes against police officers, while others were convicted of seditious conspiracy.
This list does not include things he did or said prior to becoming the 47th President, such as using the military to go after his political enemies or suspending parts of the Constitution he doesn’t like. In just two months, Trump has ignored Congress and the Judiciary—both of which exist as a check against the Presidency—and he has ignored our nation’s laws in order to carry out his agenda. Without the checks and balances proscribed in the Constitution or the rule of law, Trump is free to act like any other fascist dictator, revoking rights, imprisoning enemies, and dismantling democracy.
He has done all of this in just two months, and has not suffered any significant consequences for his words or actions. Can you imagine what he’ll do moving forward?
So, I ask again: Is Donald Trump a fascist?
