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“Can we call it fascism yet?”
Discussing the meaning of the taboo f word in relation to Donald Trump’s past behavior and future plans should he get back into the White House, former U.S. Attorney Joyce Vance wanted to know: “Can we call it fascism yet?”
As a simple and working definition of fascism, and one way to call out fascist politicians and political parties for what they are, I recommend using the Britannica dictionary: “a way of organizing a society in which a government ruled by a dictator controls the lives of the people and in which people are not allowed to disagree with the government.”
Think about Governor Ron DeSantis of the Republican-controlled state of Florida. The “anti-woke” governor epitomizes a legalistic fascist without the benefits of the First Amendment.
As far back as December 2015 people were asking whether Donald Trump was a fascist. At the time, eight experts weighed in and Vox determined: “Call him a kleptocrat, an oligarch, a xenophobe, a racist, even an authoritarian. But he doesn’t quite fit the definition of a fascist.”
At the time, and even after Trump took the reins of power in 2017 and held it through January 19, 2020, Trump and his followers may have been anti-immigrant, anti-Black, and chauvinistic. Back then and now, Trump and company may also have been refusing to denounce the violence of the MAGA extremists or domestic weapons of mass terrorism. However, the anti-fascist labeling folks of the media were giving Trump a pass as a fascist because he has never been in charge of or led a fascist government.