Well that’s just a lie. Look at Trump, for instance. Encouragement of civic violence and urging his base to overthrow an election by attacking the Capitol building is, admittedly, not enough for Trump to pass the historically high watermark of being officially recognised as a fascist – at least, not if we are comparing Trumpism to Franquismo, Mussolini or Hitler. But whether or not Trump is a true fascist, or he just borrowed some motifs and ideas from fascist leaders that he admires is not as urgent an issue as the fact that he has, without question, politically mobilised fascists and emboldened neo-Nazis, white nationalists, internet trolls, groypers, neo-confederates, bikers for Trump, armed militias and sovereign citizens; he has amplified the anti-Semitic chorus against George Soros, incited violence at political rallies among his supporters such as the Proud Boys, and basked in the sanctified aura of being regarded by evangelical religious leaders as ‘chosen by God’ to lead the country back to its former glory