Do you think that Donald Trump is a fascist?

[Absentee Voting Ghost of Ruin]

Yes and no.

In broad terms of what he says he fits the definition of fascism I learned in school perfectly. He talks about new national greatness (Make America Great Again), hyper-nationalist (America First), populist ("drain the swamp"). He also fits other parts of classical fascist regimes: scapegoating and fearmongering minorities, alliance with amoral big businesses, anti-intellectualism, racism, shallow religiosity. Trump walks like a fascist, looks like a fascist, and quacks like a fascist.

But... he's an insane, stupid, incompetent liar. So maybe he's just an aspirational fascist. Or maybe really he's just an incoherent mess, and his various insanities and personal evil look more like fascism than anything else.

And in terms of results, he's a terrible fascist. Fascism, while it may (or may not) only have a minority or plurality of the populace in a fascist state supporting it, typically tries to control the state, instill unity through fear, propaganda, and an authoritarian government, and then get aggressive. Trump isn't doing that.

Instead, Trump is tearing us apart. He's weakening our international position, pushing our government into mostly-dysfunctional shambles, and does everything possible to set us at each others' throats.

Judged by his actions instead of his words, Trump doesn't look like a fascist, but like someone bent on destroying the US.

[Absentee Voting Ghost of Ruin]

No. Actual fascists are actually competent to some degree.

It's a complete myth that Mussolini was competent and Franco was hopelessly incompetent.

I don't know much about Franco, but with Mussolini it was just that the Italian military was incompetent.

I thought it was more that the Italian military just wasn't eager to kill or die in Mussolinis wars?

And didn't Hemingway once catch Mussolini pretending to read a book he was actually holding upside down?

[Absentee Voting Ghost of Ruin]

To the extent that Donald Trump is a fascist, it's a very good thing he is a fascist. He doesn't support any of the bad things associated with fascism (doing away with electoral democracy, genocide) but he supports many of the good or neutral things about fascism (economic populism, patriotism).

I hope you're being sarcastic here. Because what he's done is the exact opposite.

Jingoism is not patriotism. Neither is dividing your nation into Us and Them.

[Absentee Voting Ghost of Ruin]

By the definitions peddled here, one could easily take to calling most monarchies prior to the era of revolutions "fascist". You guys are pulling a vanguard96.

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/fascism

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Trumpolini supporters need to acknowledge reality and admit that their guy looks a lot more like a fascist than any prior American government, or than most modern first world nations. Of course, once they let reality get a foot in the door, it'll be hard to avoid coming to terms with just how disconnected their cult leader is from what they want him to be. And Trump cultists are nothing if not good at denying reality.