On Rising Fascism in Trump's America
This week, for the sake of argument, I was prompted by a friend to give my angle on how populism is giving rise to fascism in the United States. I maintain that Donald Trump’s inflammatory political brand is dangerous and consequential, for America and the world, but this empirical view is considered insubstantial and alarmist by strict rationalists who see Trump as having no coherent strategy or vision, and limited power and influence in his presidency.
This is my response.
My view on this stems from the visible and palpable erosion of social norms and mores - of civility and common sense - and the clear undermining of democratic principles taking place under this man’s leadership. I don’t need to prove Trump is a would-be autocrat, so the issue here really surrounds the extent to which the US system of checks and balances is working to contain him.
Now that phrasing suggests Trump is reaching to extend the power of the presidency - which arguably he is, with some success over time - and we have to address the very good point about him seeming to lack ideology or destination. Trump has no political strategy for his reaching. He reaches upward daily rather than ahead into the future, because Trump’s daily modus operandi is to grow his own wealth and fame, and he has found staunch loyalty and institutional support for that MO in a Republican-controlled Senate that benefits from his personal goals and from the cult support he maintains by being loathsome.
A shameless executive branch, installed by an over-represented racist voting block, largely unchecked by a greedy and craven legislative branch, with a judicial branch set to gain a right supermajority with three justices to the far right, is a recipe for repealing rights and freedoms. The vulgarity of Trump that is so offensive to liberal sensibilities is not necessarily a fascist manifestation in itself, and Trump doesn’t have a coherent vision - he doesn’t have a coherent anything. It’s the Senate that has the coherent vision, and it is the strengthening reciprocity between the three branches of government that is encouraging fascist sentiments to grow bolder in the US. Trump is a moral vacuum that has become malignant because he has found ardent support amongst everyday racist people and cowards in Congress.
I’m sure Trump is more surprised by his success than anyone, but just because he doesn’t have a plan, doesn’t mean he isn’t skilled at exploiting hatred and fear and seizing opportunities where they arise. He is personally profiting from the presidency while in office, which is against the law, and he has been particularly successful at undermining and confounding the press - and he is so naturally skilled at this, he doesn’t even need to try. The constant barrage of lying, gaslighting and just general indecency is confusing people and exhausting them, and of course this is how authoritarianism works. Imagine the truly evil, strategic people who are observing the haphazard success of this buffoon and taking notes.
His bombast also currently distracts from the policy pursuits of his administration, which is working daily to entrench and increase white male power and wealth. His racist, sexist, bigoted words and gestures affect people’s lives every day as they embolden bad people to behave badly, and he gets away with all of this because no one, it seems, knows quite how to stop him. Four more years of this would be catastrophic, particularly as Trump has seen fit not to lead the world or to cooperate with other nations on climate change, and the world is literally on fire.
As America heads to the polls this November, rationalists and empiricists alike are relying on the American people to vote Trump out of office. When that outcome is the only mechanism left to derail him, there is no question this election will be one of the most consequential in world history.