Donald Trump is not a fascist if we rely on the usual definitions, but the accumulation of controversial statements and his refusal to condemn the extreme right can no longer be attributed to simple blunders or to a lack of knowledge of History .
The rise of extremes
As early as 1986, the US Department of Justice was warning of the rise of right-wing and left-wing extremism. At the same time, it was mentioned that it was the far right that was the best organized, already representing a threat to a large-scale operation.
I cannot say if this operation is the one that has been taking place before our eyes since Trump’s defeat in 2020, but rarely in American history has the extreme right been so present and uninhibited. It is omnipresent, particularly within the American Conservative Group (CPAC).
If all forms of extremism are frightening, the Council on Foreign Relations revealed in January 2023 that it is the far right which clearly represents the greatest risk for the police.
In a recent NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist National Poll, it was indicated that the rise of the far right and fascism was the greatest fear of 31% of Americans.
Do you believe in chance?
The most recent incident involving a fascist reference occurred on Monday. Donald Trump relayed in Truth Social a video in which appeared three references to a “unified Reich” (Nazi Germany) if he is re-elected in November.
The blame was placed on the individual who carried out the editing, ensuring that he was not a member of the team leading the campaign.
We could believe in this easy explanation if the incident did not fit into an already too long list of similar references.
Add to the “unified Reich” its attacks on the press and several judges, its appeals to groups like the Proud Boys, its allusions to a bloodbath if it loses, its refusal to recognize defeat and, underneath everything, his demonization of immigrants compared to vermin that poisons the blood of his people, and it becomes difficult to resist the temptation to attach the fascist label to Trump.
What is he missing? A coherent and organized approach as well as a desire to impose the American vision on other countries. Unlike Nazi Germany, Trump wants to disengage troops and not launch into a series of wars or territorial conquests.
On November 5, Americans will once again make a decisive choice. Will they wait for Trump to go further in his fascination with Hitler’s regime before rejecting him or will they prefer the flawed, but more moderate, vision of Joe Biden? The answer in five months.
Lie detector: serious lack of nuance
“Corrupt Joe’s Justice Department, during the illegal and unconstitutional Mar-a-Lago raid, authorized the FBI to use deadly force against me.”
Statement by Donald Trump in Truth Social. When carrying out a seizure like the one at Mar-a-Lago, the FBI receives a warrant that each time includes a clause on the possible use of deadly force. We only followed protocol (section 1-16.200 of the Department of Justice manual on the use of deadly force).
Number of the week: 10%
Only approximately 10% of fraud convictions in New York result in a prison sentence. If convicted on all counts at the end of his trial, Donald Trump could theoretically obtain a maximum sentence of 136 years in prison. He is unlikely to spend a single day behind bars.
The quote of the week:
“You look at these people… They’re in good shape, they’re 19 to 25 years old, they’re almost all men and they’re old enough to fight. I think they’re building an army. They want to defeat us from within” (Donald Trump describing migrants at the Bronx rally on Thursday).
Photo of the week:
Donald Trump at the rally in the Bronx on Thursday.
New York Post/AFP/Getty images
