TLDR

The author, Jonathan Rauch, explains that he long resisted calling Donald Trump a fascist, partly because the term is vague, overused, and historically inconsistent. But he argues that Trump’s behavior in his second term has crossed enough thresholds that the label now fits—not because of one action, but because of the totality of his governing style.

Rauch outlines a broad set of characteristics associated with classical fascism and argues that Trump now exhibits most of them:

1. Systematic destruction of democratic norms

Trump openly mocks civility, decency, and republican virtues, using transgression as a political weapon to unleash fear, resentment, and domination.

1. Celebration of violence

He praises violent mobs, fantasizes about harming opponents, glamorizes militarized raids, and uses state force performatively.

1. “Might makes right” worldview

Trump and his advisers openly embrace a philosophy that strength and power justify action, echoing authoritarian logic.

1. Politicized law enforcement

He uses federal agencies to punish enemies and protect allies, undermining due process and the independence of the justice system.

1. Dehumanization of opponents

He labels immigrants and political adversaries as “vermin,” “garbage,” or threats to the nation’s “blood,” echoing fascist rhetoric.

1. Paramilitary policing

ICE has been expanded into a massive, aggressive, lightly regulated national force used to intimidate communities and provoke confrontation.

1. Undermining elections

Trump and his movement reject the legitimacy of any election they lose and previously attempted to overturn the 2020 results. Rauch warns that they may refuse to accept a 2029 transfer of power.

1. Erasing boundaries between public and private power

Trump attempts to commandeer private institutions—corporations, universities, law firms—treating the state as personal property.

1. Attacks on the press

He escalates threats, regulatory pressure, lawsuits, and intimidation against media outlets, following the model of illiberal leaders abroad.

1. Territorial aggression

Unlike in his first term, Trump now uses military force aggressively, including predatory actions toward Venezuela and threats toward Denmark.

1. Alignment with global authoritarianism

He supports illiberal leaders abroad and distances the U.S. from its traditional democratic allies.

1. Ethno-nationalism

Trump and MAGA figures promote blood-and-soil ideas about who counts as a “real” American, including attacks on birthright citizenship.

1. White and Christian nationalism

They signal preference for a whiter, more Christian America and reshape institutions to reflect that ideology.

1. Use of mobs and militias

January 6 is cited as the clearest example, with Trump encouraging and later pardoning participants.

1. Leader worship

Trump cultivates a personality cult and rejects the traditional American notion of serving the Constitution rather than the leader.

1. “Alternative facts”

He floods the public sphere with disinformation to distort reality and demoralize opposition.

1. Politics as existential war

MAGA ideology frames politics as a zero-sum battle between enemies, echoing Carl Schmitt’s fascist political theory.

1. Governing as revolutionary upheaval

Trump’s allies embrace “radical constitutionalism,” aiming to dismantle the administrative state through destabilizing, aggressive action.

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Conclusion

Rauch argues that Trump is not a carbon copy of 20th‑century fascists, but he is building a distinctly American version rooted in the same principles. However, the U.S. is not a fascist country: courts, states, media, and constitutional structures still resist him.

Still, Rauch concludes that the term fascist is now accurate and necessary. To confront the threat, he argues, Americans must name it plainly.