It is time to call out Trump and the MAGA movement for what it is: American fascism. Those— like Congressman Thomas Kean, Jr.—who remain silent on the alarming developments within the MAGA movement controlling the heart and soul of the Republican party, are accomplices in the attempt to remake America into an authoritarian, neo-fascist state.
Since such accusations are not to be made—or accepted—lightly, we will lay out the evidence in a series of blogs. These blogs will follow a template laid out in an article published in 2003 by historian Lawrence Britt, which analyzed seven fascist regimes and the common threads linking them.
Week by week, we’ll examine each of fascism’s defining characteristics in the context of Trump and the MAGA movement:
Week 1. Powerful and Continuing Nationalism.
“Fascist regimes tend to make constant use of patriotic mottos, slogans, symbols, songs, and other paraphernalia. Flags are seen everywhere, as are flag symbols on clothing and in public displays.”
The American flag used to be a unifying symbol for our country, but Trump has co-opted it to become an emblem of the MAGA brand. At his rallies, Trump delivers his lengthy speeches against a phalanx of American flags—famously hugging and kissing the flag at CPAC in 2019 and 2020—to the delight of his followers who in turn, wave the American flag and others, while railing against immigrants, threatening the media, and denouncing anyone who doesn’t support MAGA.
This spectacle is in stark opposition to the United States Flag Code, which states, "The flag should never have placed upon it, nor on any part of it, nor attached to it, any mark, insignia, letter, word, figure, design, picture, or drawing of any nature.” In other words, no picture of Trump or other symbols of his movement. We used to call that “desecration of the flag.” Not any more—Trump and the flag have become inseparable in the iconography of the movement.
And it’s not just the flag. “Make America Great Again,” the iconic motto of the movement, is shorthand for all things Trump, and is most recognizable on the distinctive red baseball caps emblazoned with the MAGA acronym. Despite his claims to the contrary, Trump did not invent this slogan, but he uses it to tap into a zeitgeist of blue collar angst and a perception of American decline. Trump had no policies to counter the collapse of American manufacturing, other than to blame China and demonize immigrants He capitalized on it—indeed, he was the first candidate to campaign on a platform of American decline. His strategy for reversing that decline? It’s all about targeting “others” stealing our jobs - a classic policy for fascist regimes through the 20th century.
Up next: the degradation of human rights in Trump’s America.