Is Donald Trump a Fascist? | Robert Reich

I want to talk to you about the f word no no not that f word I'm talking about fascism is Donald Trump really a fascist as some would say or is the word authoritarian sufficient the term fascism is often used Loosely but you can generally identify fascists by their hate of the other vengeful nationalism and repression of dissent to fight these ideas we need to be aware of what they are and how they fit together let's examine the five elements that Define fascism and what makes it distinct from and more dangerous than authoritarianism first the

rejection of democracy in favor of a strong man authoritarians believe strong leaders are needed to maintain stability so they Empower strong men dictators or absolute monarchs to maintain social order through the use of force but fascists view strong leaders as the means of discovering what Society needs they regard the leader as the embodiment of society the voice of the people I am your voice I alone can fix it second stoking rage against cultural Elites authoritarian movements cannot succeed without at least some buy-in from establishment Elites while fascist movements often seek to co-opt The Establishment they

largely depend on fueling resentment and anger against presumed cultural Elites for supposedly displacing regular people fascists rile up their followers to seek revenge on the elites the political Elites but the Elites from the elites who led us from One Financial and foreign policy disaster to another's they create Mass political parties and demand participation they encourage violence it knock the crap out of them would you and we fight we fight like hell third nationalism based on Superior race and historic bloodlines authoritarians see nationalism as a means of asserting the power of the state for fascists the

state embodies what is considered a superior group based on race religion and historic Bloodlines to fascists the state is a means of asserting that superiority when Mexico sends its people they're not sending their best they're not sending you they're not sending you fascists worry about disloyalty and replacement by groups that don't share the same race or Bloodlines and I think any Jewish people that vote for a Democrat uh I think it shows either a total lack of knowledge or greatest loyalty fascists encouraged their followers to scapegoat expel and sometimes even kill such others fourth extolling

root strength and heroic Warriors the goal of authoritarianism is to gain and maintain state power at any cost for authoritarians strength comes in the form of large standing armies that can enforce their rule they seek power to wield power fascists seek state power to achieve their ostensible goal achieving their vision of society fascism accomplishes this by rewarding those who win economically and physically and denigrating or even Exterminating those who lose fascism depends on organized bullying a form of social Darwinism our people are tougher and stronger and meaner and smarter for the fascist war and violence

are means of strengthening Society by culling the weak and glorifying heroic Warriors I am your Warrior I am your Justice I am your retribution I am your retribution Fifth and finally disdain of women and lgbtq plus people authoritarianism imposes hierarchies it's about order fascism's idea of order is organized around a particular hierarchy of male dominance the fascist heroic Warrior is male women are relegated to subservient roles and fascism anything that challenges the traditional heroic male roles of protector provider and controller of the family is considered a threat to the social order fascism seeks to eliminate

homosexuals non-binary transgender and queered people because they are thought to challenge or weaken the heroic male warrior I will ask Congress to pass a bill establishing that the only genders recognized by the United States government are male and female and they are assigned at Birth these five elements of fascism fit together and reinforce each other rejection of democracy in favor of a strong man depends on galvanizing popular rage popular rage draws on a nationalism based on a supposed Superior race or ethnicity that Superior race or ethnicity is justified by a social darwinist idea of strength

and violence as exemplified by heroic Warriors strength violence and the heroic Warrior are centered on male power these five elements find exact expression in Donald Trump his uniquely American version of fascism is rooted largely in white Christian nationalism it is the direction that most of the Republican party is now heading in it's not enough to call Trump and those promoting his ideas authoritarians when what they are really advocating is something far worse fascism [Music] foreign [Music]