All posts tagged "Fascism"

A Guardian columnist on Monday warned that behind President Donald Trump's portrayal as a "comic figure" hides a much darker reality.

Nesrine Malik explained that although some commentators have argued that Trump's "clownishness or lack of ideology" has made him less dangerous than previous authoritarian leaders, that's not the case.

"Over the past few weeks, a random kaleidoscope of images has been flashing through my head," Malik wrote. "Some are characters from movies not seen since childhood. Others are snippets from literature or iconic art. What joins them all is an exaggerated, almost kitschy evil."...

President Donald Trump has used the word "loser" to describe plenty of his enemies, but now that insult might be coming back to haunt him, an analyst said on Wednesday.

The New Republic's Matt Ford discussed how Trump's Iran war has suspended trade through the Strait of Hormuz, effectively "the geopolitical equivalent of stabbing the global economy’s femoral artery." Iran has taken control of the channel, and although Trump has argued that the United States has won the conflict, the world does not see it as he does.

"This is what happens when losers are elected to lead the world’s only superpower," Ford wrote. ...

An American pope who values right over wrong has appeared on the world stage just when he's needed most, according to a former Republican strategist.

Steve Schmidt, who worked on Republican political campaigns for George W. Bush, wrote on his Substack that Pope Leo XIV is a force for good that will take on "fascist" Donald Trump.

"Morality vs. immorality and right vs. wrong are fully engaged in America," Schmidt wrote. "Donald Trump has already lost his war of aggression against American values and the Constitution — even if he doesn’t know it yet."...

A writer for Salon noticed all of the aesthetic "ugliness" surrounding the Trump administration and came to one conclusion: Trump himself loves the grotesque, so his faithful followers deliberately make themselves as gaudy as possible to please him.

"The reality TV host has always embraced an aesthetic that is as hideous as it is expensive, from gold-plated everything to his vile haircut to his ill-fitted suits," wrote columnist Amanda Marcotte. "It's only grown worse in the decade since he first ran for president, as both the leader and followers compete to inject as much unsightliness as possible into the American field of vision."

Marcotte took shots at the people who surrounded Trump — both men and women — who have a similar look: botoxed and surgically enhanced, with makeup so thick it could "crack."...

Republican strategist Tricia McLaughlin tried to defend former President Donald Trump against charges of being a fascist by falsely claiming that fascism is a left-wing socialist political ideology.

During an interview with CNN's Sara Sidner, McLaughlin argued that it was dangerous for Democrats to echo claims made by Trump's own former White House chief of staff about Trump being a fascist because it could result in someone trying to kill him.

"The natural conclusion of calling Donald Trump a Nazi, calling Donald Trump the next Hitler, is that someone will again try to kill him," she said....

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)."...