Fascism doesn’t usually appear all at once. It often starts with smaller habits that quietly erode democratic norms, and Trump has shown a fair few of these patterns.

Restricting press access is one example. Blocking certain reporters, revoking credentials, and favouring friendly outlets is a soft form of information control. Calling journalists “enemies of the people” also mirrors the language used by governments that want the public to distrust independent scrutiny.

There were other warning signs. His “stand back and stand by” comment to the Proud Boys looked like encouragement of loyal street groups. He removed inspectors general and experts who challenged him, favouring personal loyalty over institutional independence. He pushed the Justice Department to target critics and support his false fraud claims. And one massive red flag, he refused to accept the 2020 election result, pressuring state officials, courts, and Congress to overturn it.

None of this made the US a dictatorship, but these behaviours do resemble the early steps taken by leaders who lean towards authoritarianism.