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VIEWPOINT - Is this what fascism looks like? We know that many analysts have looked at Minneapolis and rendered their verdict. We now have a fascist government in the United States, but is this really the case? The case that fascism has arrived rests on Trump’s claim of unlimited power, his deployment of ICE to Minneapolis, plus these features:
Glorification of violence, that might make right. This takes the form of body slamming, shooting protesters, and military raids on homes and schools. This glorification of violence is inherent to fascism. In the words of Steven Miller, the President’s powerful aide: “We live in a world, in the real world that is governed by force, that is governed by power. These are the iron laws of the world that have existed since the beginning of time.”
Politicized law enforcement. Trump makes no secret of despising the due process of law. He had demanded that his opponents be jailed. His most dangerous second term innovation is the repurposing of federal law enforcement to prosecute his enemies and shield his friends. Had Trump done nothing else, this misuse of law enforcement has moved the US government toward fascism.
Dehumanization. Trump characterizes his political opponents as vermin who are poisoning the blood of our country. These same comparisons were used by the Nazis.
Police-state tactics. Trump has turned ICE into a paramilitary force that roves the country, detains citizens and non-citizens without warrants, and operates behind masks to hide their identity. Its budget is now larger than all other Federal law enforcement agencies, and it is still rising.
But is this actually fascism? No doubt these practices are components of fascism, but they are only components, and important non-fascist institutions remain:
- Elections: The country still has them, even if the differences between most elected Democrats and Republicans are minor, a reason why less than half of voters participate in Congressional elections.
- Independent news media: Especially if you tune into YouTube for non-corporate news sources, like Democracy Now.
- Judiciary: Federal judges, including some Republican appointees, have ruled against the Trump administration.
Trump and Vice-President Vance have not abolished elections, banned independent news sources, or ignored judicial orders. While we cannot rule out these actions in the future, it is doubtful that the Trump administration could successfully abolish elections, silence independent news media, and ignore court orders. Why? Their main opposition party, Congressional Democrats (as opposed to Democratic voters), supports the Administration on most issues. Furthermore, this political duopoly keeps electoral alternatives in single digits, eliminating them from all positions of national power. At best, political parties, like the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), trumpet their success at winning a local municipal election, notably Mayor Mandami in New York City.
Where does that leave us? Undoubtedly, President Trump has made a series of moves that could be stepping-stones to a fascist United States. But he still has far to go, notably abolishing elections, to make a complete transition to fascism. To do so, he would need to outlaw his loyal opposition, Congressional leaders of the Democratic Party, even though they work with Trump on most issues. Considering that Democrats have more registered voters than Republicans and that 45 percent of voters call themselves Independents, minority Republican rule remains another impediment to a fully fascist USA.
Even Sinclair Lewis, in It Can’t Happen Here (1935), imagined that a Democrat would win the 1936 election, and then quickly imposed a fascist regime on the country. The elected president unleashed a private militia, and quickly eliminated elections and the courts. The regime eventually attacked Mexico. At this point, however, power slowly slipped away.
Conclusion: While predicting the future is risky, a Trump or Vance led fully fascist USA is highly unlikely. After all, they have ample precedent in waging wars and trampling constitutional rights without fascism.
(Victor Rothman is a California-based policy analyst and a regular contributor to CityWatchLA.com.)
