Congratulations, MAGA, you have now turned America into the very nightmare our founders warned us about. In modern terms, per this opinion piece, we have turned into a fascist state (no ovens yet, just concentration camps and military occupation). Horrors, you say, how dare you call this fascism. If it isn't, what is it? Give me a better word. Then tell me how this benefits your daily life with a president obsessed with amassing power to the extent he can ignore your needs, whether it is affordable and effective modern health care, groceries, shelter, and the ability to object and be heard or to get him to change course. The more power he gets, the less he has to listen to us and how we live our daily lives. We once had a form of government of, by, and for the people. Now we have a government that has become the government of, by, and for, an all-powerful individual. He is taking away ordinary people's ability to cope and the right to object, complain, without fear or favor, or fairness, and affect what he does. He's got his agenda and if it is not yours, or in the future it turns out not to be yours, you are SOL. Did you vote for this?
What kind of dictator, this wannabe (per Gov. Pritzker) aspires to be: a fascist one? From, a prior post: MUFTIC FORUM BLOG: What is fascism and does Trump meet the definition rev.8/13/2025 updated 8/14- 15/2025 Trump is acting like a dictator and, in many respects, like a fascist one, depending on the definition or criteria. An Australian political scientist in 2013 published a study of 1930s fascist dictators and identified some common characteristics. In any case, you do not have to have Nazi extermination ovens to still be called a fascist. Are those who support Trump fascists, too? Take the Britt test below. Dr. Lawrence Britt, an Australian political scientist, wrote "14 Defining Characteristics of Fascism" after studying the fascists of the 1930s.
For those who wonder where they fit in, take the Britt test
In bold print are Britt's defining characteristics of fascism. In Italics, my reason for contending Trump is meeting or not meeting those characteristics.
Nationalism: saying one's own country is better than other countries. Not exactly: Trump contends the US is failing and other countries are taking advantage of us.
Disdain for human rights: The core issues are around due process, and cruelty in imprisonment and snatching off the street because a person looks like a "Mexican". Trump would welcome those from Norway, however, to migrate to the US. Obviously, white people are not targeted.
Scapegoating: blaming someone else for the country's problems: Trump is constantly whining about migrants from south of the border who are rapists and murderers and criminals; now he and his supporters are hinting they want to stop birthright citizenship and revoke refugee status, as well as revoke already granted citizenships.
Putting the military first: Only if it pledges loyalty to Trump, passes his test for that, or is not led by women, non white people, gays, etc. The assumption is that black and brown people and women are inherently not as competent as men. More faith is put in paramilitary ICE, masked, not in uniform, pardoning militias, unregulated, from violent acts that were found guilty by juries for insurrection. Insurrection is fine if it is done in support of Trump, is the message. His use of the national guard on streets does not address underlying problems of homelessness and crime, but is only for show, a temporary drama, and an attempt to see if he can get away with declaring a bogus emergency, nationally or locally as a way to assert his willingness to use the military against their own fellow citizens as his campaign of fear and suppression of demonstrations of opposition. (His use of the military to get us used to armed occupation to put down any demonstrations and the pretension and show that he cares about crime, as he grants pardons to criminals who supported him.)
Sexism: saying men are better than women: End DEI, equal rights for genders, and a mantra incompetent in military (as above) and tolerates Hegseth's religion that women shouldn't even be able to vote; found in civil suit Trump was liable for rape, has: boasted of p grabbing and now his relationship with Epstein, his attempt to sidestep and hide evidence. is causing suspicion as he is hiding something and apparently fears exposure.
Control of mass media: telling newspapers and other sources of news what they can and cannot tell the people: Threatens to yank broadcast licenses, forces broadcast media mergers until they fire objectionable comedians; cuts funding the public broadcasting; stops access to White House briefings if he does not like the reporter.
Focus on national security: Crickets on this one. Trump undermines cybersecurity funding, trusts Russia's CRU more than the US CIA,... Uses bogus claims of national emergency to bring in active military and national guard; once, Trump tried to get the military to shoot black lives matter protestors in the legs. Ok if Russia interferes in elections or land-grabbing aggression, undermines NATO. Hints would not honor article 5, does not care if Europe feels threatened if Russia takes all of Ukraine, advocates peace at any price, even if it endangers world or regional peace. Thinks appeasement works.
Close ties between religion and government: Follows and achieves white nationalist Christian plan (Project 2025) to replace the personnel in the various branches and agencies with their ideologues..
Protection of businesses and corporations: Destroys or subverts consumer and environmental protection agencies; gives special tax breaks to corporations; tells lies that tariff costs are not passed on to customers in higher prices
Suppression of labor power: preventing labor unions from becoming powerful: against right-to-work laws; promotes non-union auto assembly shops, puts flunkies in charge of the NLRB
Disdain for intellectuals and the arts: telling people not to listen to scientists, scholars, and artists, took over the Kennedy Center; trashes White House historical decor with gold gilt; anti-science in control of scientific agencies like Robert Kennedy Jr.; calls any evidence of global warming a fraud; disbands key climate and weather forecasting agencies. Dictates to Harvard and Columbia what curriculum should be, or lose government contracts, and then uses them to cow every other research institute associated with a private university with similar threats
Focus on crime and crimefighting: Ignores crimes that are committed by supporters or pardons those convicted of crimes who he likes, January 6 rioters, and even criminals and murderers imprisoned in foreign prisons. Using "national security" bogus excuses to crack down on local enforcement agencies in DC and LA, while threatening other major cities that have black mayors.
Corruption: conducted in plain sight with his cryptocurrency, with sales and investments based on his name and position, selling access to foreign interests to him for dinners, etc, hiding campaign contributions in crypto; accepts gifts (747) from princes;
.Fraudulent elections: Claims any vote where the tally goes against him is always because the election was stolen or there was fraud, always without evidence. Tried to get loyalists to get control of voting machines; claimed over 60 state elections were fraudulent in 2020, and no court found evidence of it; Still claims the 2020 election was stolen but never coughed up evidence after 5 years of trying.. Instructed Texas to start gerrymandering districts to get 5 more House seats and in order to misrepresent voters' will, deprive racial minorities of Congressional representation, and fix the 2026 elections. They want to federalize elections and take the administrative power away from states, giving Trump the power to more easily control the outcome to benefit him. Trump wants to control the vote count by federal control of voting machines and banning mail in ballots. He got his advice from Putin, per the New York Times. MUFTIC FORUM BLOG: Trump's newest attack democracy's rule by people via a vote. ban mail in ballots and voting machines
