Donald Trump has been called a fascist by his White House rival Kamala Harris and his former chief of staff John Kelly.
Federico Finchelstein, a historian at the New School for Social Research in New York who specializes in transatlantic extremism and fascism, spoke to Agence France-Presse About the accusations that Trump vehemently refuted.
How is Trump classified in terms of extremism?
“It’s an extreme version of populism bordering on fascism,” Finchelstein said. Agence France-PresseHe identified four basic elements of fascism: political violence, propaganda and disinformation, xenophobia, and dictatorship.
These traits may be present in populism but are more pronounced in fascism, according to his thesis, and Adolf Hitler is the most extreme case.
“History does not repeat itself, but this is already a red flag that we are even considering this question.
“There is a danger here that Trump will become as authoritarian as he would like to be.”
Why do many Americans support him?
“There are a lot of people in the United States who are dissatisfied with the economy or with the changes this country is going through. Sometimes a combination of grievances leads them to choose an authoritarian regime.
“They’re not thinking that Trump is proposing magic solutions to real problems and that there’s a problem here with a leader who represents that his will is more important than reality itself.”
Are his supporters extremists?
Finchelstein sees some of the “dog whistles” directed at his hardline followers, but he says the bigger problem may lie with mainstream voters who are accustomed to Trump’s far-right rhetoric.
“The real problem here is not extremism, but how that extremism is normalized in society, often in the media but last but not least in the electorate. This was toxic politics and suddenly it is no longer so.”
“We’re talking about a candidate who is promising mass deportations in the context of what he believes are risk and genetic issues. This is really extreme.”
What does Trump’s victory mean?
“What we have is a willing fascist leader. But the question remains, to what extent will he be able to do all the things he wants to do?”
Finchelstein noted that a Brazilian court barred Jair Bolsonaro from taking office after he alleged fraud in his losing 2022 presidential campaign. Trump did not face that fate after January 6.
“The work of justice has either not been successful or it is too late. How can someone with so many legal problems be a candidate?
“The January 6 riots were technically an (attempted) coup. One wonders how many times it has been presented as such.”