It seems increasingly evident in the contemporary political discourse that the definitions of words are now rather fluid. Though this isn’t the case with every word, this distortional effect is frequently applied to words being used as pejoratives, with fascist being the most relevant example. People will haphazardly throw the f-word around to describe anybody with a different opinion to theirs, and this label gets frequently applied to those supporting Donald Trump.
Of all the loose narratives conjured up by the legacy media as of late, I find the “Donald Trump is a fascist” narrative to be one of the more egregious. The term, as it is currently used in the common vernacular, has been completely divorced from its actual definition in the political sciences. This distortion seems to be the work of far-left anarchist group Antifaschistische Aktion, or Atifa for short.
Antifa is a group of anarcho-communists who seek to implement their self-deconstructing ideology into society through the persuasive power of political violence and destruction of property. This violence is said to be wrought against everyone who the group decides is a fascist. If you’re familiar with Antifa, you’re surely aware that those they see as fascists are essentially everyone who isn’t as left-leaning as they are, or most of the sane population. In fact, I would likely be labeled a fascist, despite my views aligning more with that of classical liberalism, an ideology that is purely antithetical to fascism.
Recently, Antifa made headlines at Donald Trump’s inauguration after changing hearts and minds by smashing a Starbucks window, an event perfectly emblematic of the group itself. However, the Black Bloc weren’t there to smash windows and roll trash cans into the street, they were there to protest Trump’s inauguration because he’s a fascist dictator who must be stopped.
Unfortunately for Antifa, Trump is not the fascist they’re looking for, and this is because Trump and the political climate he’s surrounded in are not indicative of a fascist regime. Fascism necessitates a single-party, dictatorial state unified by a collective sense of nationalism, economic protectionism, and a citizen army. Fascism also rejects liberal democracy and promotes imperialism. These traits are not exclusive to fascist regimes, though all fascist regimes have most, if not all, of these traits fulfilled.
It should be clear that the Trump administration is shaping up to be anything but a fascist dictatorship. Donald Trump has stated nothing to the effect of abolishing all dissenting parties from the country, nor has he made mention of forced military service. Trump also seems more keen on strengthening our borders instead of expanding them, and given the countless number of protests around the country, I’m willing to bet that national pride isn’t the highest it has ever been. It should also be noted that Trump is not an autocrat, and any moves he may make that push him towards despotism will likely be shot down by Congress or the Supreme Court.
The one item in this short list that Donald Trump is acting on is his protectionist economic policies. However, protectionist policies will be very useful in this case. One of the core policy ideas Trump ran on was bringing jobs back to America, and instituting a tariff on foreign goods will certainly provide businesses with an incentive to do just that.
To conclude, Donald Trump is not creating a police state in America. He’s definitely acting in an authoritarian manner, that is inarguable. However, I believe you’d be hard-pressed to find another fascist dictator in history who wants to arm the people he’s seeking to subjugate.
