On several occasions, I have asked whether I believed America is on the verge of becoming a fascist government. Well, after putting off answering the question, I have finally relented and for those who follow my views this is nothing new. During Trump’s first term in office, as his right-wing agenda congealed, I joined a number of activists in using the term “incipient fascism.” Well, we can dispense with any moderation because it’s here in manifold ways. I was surprised, to some extent, to hear Zohran Mamdani, the presumptive Democratic mayoral nominee, call Trump a fascist. If we abide by the rules, which Trump rarely does, a fascist is an authoritarian, autocratic, anti-Democratic leader who will resort to any means to impose his policies. Trump has been absolutely defiant in his rule of law, defying the governmental checks and balances, upturning the Constitution, ignoring the opinions of judges, and becoming an unrepentant dictator. When he ordered a special celebration of his birthday on June 14, under the guise of honoring the flag and history of the nation’s military, many of us believed it was nothing more than a show of his political muscle. More broadly, it was a harbinger of his attack on the nuclear facilities in Iran and a way of shoring up Israel’s standing in the Middle East. Trump is determined to roll back all the gains made during the Civil Rights Movement, to uphold white supremacy, and make America in his own brutal totalitarian image, and if that isn’t fascism then it’s right — and I mean right — around the corner.
OP-ED: Fascism is just around the corner, any cosy little corner
