Toward the end of a long piece for Spectre Magazine in which socialist writer DK Renton carefully builds a history-based counter-argument to the notion that Trump's second administration is exhibiting signs of fascism, he writes:
Trump isn’t a fascist yet, his party isn’t in its core politics, his voters are largely the Republicans of 2012 and 2008, rather than an army committed to certain outcomes in advance. But the distance between him and fascism has narrowed to such a fine point that it would take very little to cross it.
As some boob on the internet with no reputation to protect, I have the luxury of not concerning myself with strict formalities. From my perspective Donald Trump is eagerly embracing the forbidden mantels of fascism and authoritarianism that I'm surprised as someone closer to his age than I'd like to admit (he could be my oldest brother's oldest brother) he did not internalize an antipathy to in the wake of Hitler's defeat in World War II. Then again, what I am witnessing seems to me to be the apotheosis of the easy sociopathy exhibited so freely by members of his class in the 1960's of my youth.
I try to get inside his head to understand, but there's no room in there. The space is completely occupied with "Me". But in their unfettered lack of self-awareness, he and his loutish accomplices remind me very much of a cross between a certain type of suburban New Jersey blue blood in whose homes my father, a self-employed poorly compensated floor scraper would often ply his trade and the more successful than he nouveau riche contractors he would frequently work with. Somehow I experienced both, and though my father never talked about it, my invisibility when he would bring me and my twin brother thirteen, preschoolers, along on rare jobs, felt like a blindness on the part of the blue blooded dames who would casually toss about racism and contempt for the poor, careless of my father's feelings and without filter as though my brother and I in our food-stained little outgrown hand-me-down shirts and shorts with our impressionable little brains weren't there. The loud and crass contractors who simply ignored us took for granted that my father would have no objection to their racist complaining and liberal sprinkling of the n-word in casual conversation on the job when thanks to their discrimination no black people were anywhere around. In church we learned and sang that Jesus loved the little children of all colors, but he was exceptional. Most adults it seemed, especially the comfortable ones -- maybe because change was so much in the air in those days -- were preoccupied with their hatred and satisfied with white society's stinginess toward those who were fighting for fairness with their slice of the pie. Rich people assume the non-rich hate them because they envy them. In my case, the hatred comes from my formative experience of them. Among the worst, most contemptible people I've ever met, and I'm convinced Donald Trump and his posse are the same. These are the tax shirkers and wealth hoarders and planet rapers who complain about the entitlement of the poor. And Trump and his team are emboldened to be doing something about it.
In their recent article on the subject of End Times Fascism in the Guardian, Naomi Klein and Astra Taylor make a distinction between the fascism of 100 years ago, focussed as it was on creating an earthly utopia from the ashes of the world it sought to destroy, and today's kind of illiberal go for broke state sponsored capitalism, utterly and intentionally conscious of the ravages it is wreaking on what's left of the planet it's been destroying with an escape plan reserved strictly for the traitorous oligarchs who are carrying it out. A small but powerful group using the fragments of state power dutifully servile to it in the person of amoral autocrats such as Trump, Israel's Netanyahu, Hungary's Orbán, India's Modi, etc., in order to shut every one else out. It's the culmination of a project described in recent works like Richard Seymour's Disaster Nationalism, Douglas Rushkoff's Survival of the Richest and Yanis Varoufakis' Techno-Feudalism.
There are definitions and lists of characteristics of fascism, but I am finding Google's AI list among the most succinct and useful:
Extreme Nationalism: Fascism emphasizes the nation's importance and often includes a strong sense of national pride and a belief in the superiority of the nation.
Militarism: Fascist regimes often prioritize military strength and glorify war, viewing it as a way to achieve national greatness.
Cult of Personality: Fascist leaders are often portrayed as charismatic and infallible figures, and their followers are encouraged to worship them.
Suppression of Dissent: Dissent and opposition are harshly suppressed, often through violence and intimidation.
Social Hierarchy: Fascism often features a belief in a natural social hierarchy, with some groups seen as superior to others.
Control of the Economy: Fascist regimes often exert significant control over the economy, sometimes through state ownership or regulation.
Racism and Xenophobia: Many fascist movements have embraced racism and xenophobia, targeting minority groups and promoting national purity.
Use of Propaganda: Fascist regimes often use propaganda to manipulate public opinion and create a sense of national unity.
Rejection of Democracy: Fascism is typically opposed to democracy and free elections, viewing them as weak and ineffective.
The rest I feel emboldened to say is quibbling.
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