Trump and Fascism: Is It Irresponsible to Label MAGA a Fascistic Movement?

Or does "if it walks like a duck" apply?

“Fascism” is a slippery term — one that gets thrown around a lot today. I’m hesitant to use it, just because of all the baggage it brings with it, and the tendency to dismiss any use of it as hysterical overreaction. With that in mind, I decided to take a deeper look at it. So in the following post, I’ll look at the historical origins; the essential elements according to various experts; and I’ll end by looking at some key points about fascism that Mike Brock recently posted in a thoughtful presentation on the subject.

I. The Etymology of Fascism

The word fascism originates from the Latin term fasces — a bundle of wooden rods, sometimes including an axe, bound together by leather straps. In ancient Rome, fasces were carried by lictors (bodyguards to magistrates) as symbols of authority and power, particularly the power to punish and coerce. The symbolic idea was simple: a single rod breaks easily, but a bound bundle is strong — unity through strength.

Fast forward to the early 20th century: Benito Mussolini adopted the term when forming the Fasci di Combattimento in 1919, which became the Partito Nazionale Fascista in 1921. The movement sought to restore national greatness and order in Italy, promising strength through unity, national rebirth, and authoritarian discipline.

II. The Birth of Fascism in Mussolini’s Italy

Fascism as an ideology emerged in post–World War I Italy, where a combination of economic collapse, political paralysis, and disillusionment created fertile ground for authoritarian solutions. Mussolini’s early movement blended nationalism, militarism, and anti-socialism, while rejecting liberal democracy.

Key features of Mussolini’s fascist regime included:

• A centralized, authoritarian state led by a supreme leader

• Suppression of political opposition through violence and censorship

• State control of the economy in cooperation with major industrialists (not full socialism, but corporatism)

• Glorification of the nation and militaristic renewal

• A cult of personality surrounding Il Duce himself

While Nazism and Italian fascism shared similarities, fascism as a broader phenomenon has appeared in varied forms. Not all fascist regimes committed genocide, but they typically shared structural elements of repression, mythic nationalism, and legal cynicism.

III. How Experts Define Fascism

Scholars have long debated the precise definition of fascism. Here are a few leading perspectives:

Robert Paxton (Columbia University, The Anatomy of Fascism)

"Fascism is a form of political behavior marked by obsessive preoccupation with community decline, humiliation or victimhood, and by compensatory cults of unity, energy, and purity... A mass-based party of nationalist militants, working in uneasy but effective collaboration with traditional elites."

Key elements:

• Cult of national rebirth

• Mass mobilization

• Nationalism paired with authoritarianism

• Rejection of democratic norms

Umberto Eco (Essay: “Ur-Fascism”)

Eco identified 14 features of fascism, not all of which need to be present for a regime to qualify. Some of the most salient:

• Cult of tradition

• Rejection of modernism and critical thinking

• Fear of difference

• Obsession with a plot or enemy

• Anti-intellectualism

• Newspeak (control and distortion of language)

U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum

“Fascism is a far-right, authoritarian ultranationalist ideology characterized by dictatorial power, forcible suppression of opposition, and strong regimentation of society and the economy.”

In short: fascism involves a power-seeking, anti-democratic movement that valorizes the nation and erodes institutions under the guise of strength, unity, and tradition.

IV. Mike Brock’s Modern Framing

In a recent Substack Live, Mike Brock offered a compelling framework for understanding fascism in the modern American context. Here are the six hallmarks of fascism Brock identifies. These are all consistent with the history and the experts, but seem particularly well suited for evaluating present day circumstances.

1. A Cult of Personality: The leader is portrayed as above institutions and law, embodying the will of the people in a quasi-mystical way.

2. Legal Cynicism: Use of legal structures to undermine the law while preserving its appearance.

3. Disdain for Pluralism: Treating ideological or demographic diversity as a threat to be eliminated rather than managed.

4. Mythic National Rebirth: A narrative of past greatness lost and a future revival requiring sacrifice and obedience.

5. Grievance as Spectacle: Emotion and spectacle replace deliberation and reason.

6. Anti-Intellectualism: A hostility to facts, complexity, nuance — often accompanied by vilification of the media, academics, and experts.

Brock contrasts facism with conservatism, noting that Ronald Reagan, who, while a conservative icon, worked within the legal and constitutional framework and did not erode pluralism or institutions in the name of grievance. In other words: conservatism is not fascism — but fascism often wears the mask of patriotism or tradition.

He also points out deeply troubling examples that go beyond ordinary political disagreement:

• Accepting a $400M jet from Qatar (potential Emoluments Clause violation)

• Defying Supreme Court rulings

• Allegedly coordinating the rendition of innocent people to foreign prisons without due process

• Arresting domestic political opponents

These go beyond policy decisions and enter the realm of institutional breakdown and authoritarian overreach.

Finally, Brock notes the “banality of evil” — drawing from Hannah Arendt — to show how fascism thrives not through cartoon villains but through ordinary bureaucrats, passive citizens, and small accommodations that accumulate into a national rupture.

Does It Walk Like a Duck?

So what is a fair and proper use of the term “fascism”? Can it be used legitimately and responsibly to describe the Trump regime and Trumpism?

My interpretation is that Trump registers on most of the key indicators but not all. Here’s where Trump and Trumpism “fit” fascism:

• Elevates a single leader as above the law,

• Uses law to dismantle law,

• Normalizes anti-democratic behavior,

• Turns pluralism into a scapegoat,

• Weaponizes grievance and disinformation,

• And seeks national “rebirth” through obedience and exclusion—

And here are the elements that aren’t quite there:

• Suppression of political opposition through violence and censorship

• State control of the economy in cooperation with major industrialists (not full socialism, but corporatism)

For these two elements, I would say there is partial alignment as follows:

Trump does not preside over a formal state apparatus that systematically suppresses political opposition through violence or formal censorship laws, as seen in classic fascist regimes (e.g., Mussolini’s Italy, Hitler’s Germany, or Franco’s Spain). However, there are clear warning signs and dangerous authoritarian flirtations, including:

Violence:

• January 6th, 2021: Trump incited supporters with false claims of a stolen election, culminating in a violent attack on the Capitol intended to overturn democratic results. This was arguably the most direct attempt at violent suppression of electoral opposition in modern U.S. history.

• Endorsement of Political Violence: Throughout his presidency, Trump repeatedly praised or excused violence committed by his supporters — from white nationalists in Charlottesville (“very fine people on both sides”) to Kyle Rittenhouse to assaults on journalists.

• Targeting Protesters: Trump called for aggressive crackdowns on Black Lives Matter protests, infamously using tear gas to clear Lafayette Square for a photo op, and suggested shooting looters (“when the looting starts, the shooting starts”).

Censorship and Intimidation:

• Press as “Enemy of the People”: Trump has waged an aggressive rhetorical war against the free press, branding unfavorable media as “fake news” and targeting individual journalists by name.

• DoJ Subpoenas: His administration secretly has subpoenaed phone and email records of journalists from CNN, The New York Times, and The Washington Post — acts that chillingly echo authoritarian tactics.

• Threats to Jail Opponents: Regular chants of “lock her up” aimed at Hillary Clinton, calls to prosecute political enemies, and threats to jail whistleblowers and leakers blur the line between political rhetoric and repression.

Bottom line: Yes, there is a strong alignment, and it’s probably not irresponsible to describe the Trump regime as having “fascistic tendencies” or ambitions. It’s failure to get all the way there seems to be more a function of certain guardrails holding up, than a distaste for fascism by Trump or his followers. And for sure, watching Trump witht he key indicators of fascism in mind is a useful exercise.

But is he all the way there on the journey to fascism? Or still falling short. I’m reluctant to say he’s all the way there but I’m curious about what others have to say. Share your thoughts!