If It Walks Like a Duck and Quacks Like a Duck. Is It a Fascist?

Is it fair or, more precisely, accurate to call Trump a fascist?  On a purely academic basis it is difficult to compare Trump's American made fascism with the product on display in Hitler's Germany, Mussolini's Italy or, even Franco's Spain.  But, that difficulty stems from the fact that fascism is more identifiable after the authoritarian take-over than before it happens.  It is clear that Trumpism, which is a personality cult that has taken over the Republican Party, is based on "authoritarian ethno-nationalism" that is packaged and sold to an audience well prepared by its embrace of systemic racism and right wing fundamental religious bigotry.

Trump is a grifting demagogue, who has figured out in his feral way that the Republican party was ripe for being taken over by someone presenting himself as an authoritarian ethno-nationalist strongman celebrity cult figure — a kind of reality TV caudillo. (Again, asking whether he “believes” in ethno-nationalism is the wrong question — what he believes is that authoritarian ethno-nationalism plays with the marks. I will concede that he does seem to have a genuine — to the extent that word can ever mean anything in regard to Trump — affection for authoritarianism and white supremacy, but this seems purely emotional and reflexive rather than some sort of ideological commitment, because Trump doesn’t and indeed can’t do ideology: he’s too lazy and stupid for that).

But the fact remains that anybody who is promoting an authoritarian ethno-nationalist xenophobic anti-intellectual strongman cult, based on restoring a glorious mythical national greatness, that must now be recaptured because it has been sabotaged by both external and internal enemies, is at a minimum playing around with a Fascism 101 Starter Kit.

Trumpism is a fascist movement, Trumpism has taken over the Republican party completely, and the Republican party is trying to nullify the presidential election it just lost, so you do the math regarding whether that all adds up to some sort of nascent or not so nascent fascist plot against America.

You don't need an airtight ideology to be a fascist, just the willingness to lie, cheat and steal.  This is what makes fascism an ideal political philosophy for Trump.  He has already perfected lying, cheating and stealing.