'We can still stop it': Historian shows how to halt an 'autocratic takeover' of the U.S.

Conditions in the U.S. are perfect for fascism to emerge, but it "is not pre-determined," a historian specializing in rhetoric said Thursday.

Jennifer Mercieca, a historian of political rhetoric at Texas A&M and author of "Demagogue for President: The Rhetorical Genius of Donald Trump," said it's not too late to stop the former president from becoming a dictator, as he puts it, for one day. She outlined several signs to look for as we are on "fascism watch."

One of those signs, according to the expert, is "Media intimidation and restrictions (autocrats intimidate the media, so that they won’t try to hold the autocrat accountable to the rule of law)."

Another sign is, "Identification of crises or political paralysis to justify emergency measures (autocrats take advantage of crisis/make up crises in order to seize the opportunity as a 'state of exception' to use dictatorial powers. Sometimes they use 'nothing's been done' as a similar excuse)."

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Mercieca then ties a third sign directly to Trump's own comments.

"Attacks on minorities; scapegoating foreigners (autocrats try to activate Right-Wing Authoritarians with fear appeals about 'impure' foreigners, using 'disgust' words like 'vermin' and treating people as 'hate-objects' to create a climate of nationalistic 'us' versus 'them')."

In addition to listing the signs to look for, the historian explained why they are so important.

"This is how autocrats take over governments," she said. "You might think the signs of democratic backsliding would be very obvious, but scholars explain that if you’re looking for American democracy to end with a big bang, like a violent coup, then you’re looking for the wrong signs."

Finally, she writes about what the future holds.

"The 2024 presidential election will be between two political figures as much as it is between democracy and autocracy—between a government that follows the democratic principle of the 'rule of law' (in which 'the law is supreme,' which means it binds and protects everyone equally) and one that follows the autocratic 'rule by law' strategy (the law is used as a weapon to reward friends, punish enemies, and consolidate power). Conditions are right for fascism; be on alert for the warning signs."

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