We Should Worry About Trump's Fascism and Its Inevitable Violence

Donald Trump is no stranger to fascism, in rhetoric or policies. His image is created from the building blocks of fascism and our greatest worry, as the election draws nearer is that the simmering pot of his devotees will boil over and cause mass-violence in reaction to the election outcome.

Trump’s rhetoric relies heavily on themes outlined in Umberto Eco’s 14 points to identify fascism. At various times throughout his campaign and presidency, he has hit on every single one of Eco’s points. He frequently invokes the cult of tradition, rejection of modernism, fear of difference, nationalism[1]. He appeals to a frustrated (white) middle class and tells them that they can be strong, they can be heroic, as long as they reject the weak, the Elite, and the Other; as long as they follow him the country can be saved from ruin and returned to a time when they were on top[2]. In telling his followers that social status has been stolen from them, he must identify the groups that are “stealing” power away from Real Americans: black people, Latinx people, Muslim and Jewish people, the LGBT community, etc.

Trump’s fascism is rooted in aesthetics: in the pageantry of a huge cheering rally, a military parade, an image of him holding the Bible in front of St. John’s Church in D.C. Yet these displays are rooted in violence or threats of violence. Whether it’s when he told a crowd to “knock the crap out of” potential hecklers at a 2016 campaign rally and promised to pay for the legal fees of his supporters that attacked protesters[3], or when he directed aggressive police violence to clear the way for his photo-op during anti-police brutality protests in D.C.[4] or when he tweeted “any difficulty and [the military] will assume control but, when the looting starts, the shooting starts.”[5] about protests in Minnesota this summer. Time and time again we’ve seen that Trump is willing to encourage, threaten, or enact violence against dissidents and opponents, against “the other”. This is particularly frightening because it demonstrates the real-life violence that comes as a natural end to Trump’s fascism.

Beyond his own actions and threats, his rhetoric has already inspired dozens of acts of violence from his supporters.[6] Take for instance, the August 2019 mass shooting in El Paso, Texas where a man opened fire at a Walmart killing 22 people and injuring 24 more.[7] The shooter was motivated by a racialized anti-immigrant sentiment that was given a massive platform and mainstream legitimacy by the President. This anti-immigrant sentiment is based in a fear of difference, an aggressive clutching to national identity and Trump’s use of the rhetoric propels it to the end point of decisive action, all key points of fascism.

It is naive to imagine that Trump doesn’t know what he’s doing. So often, capital-L-Liberals delude themselves into thinking he’s a buffoon with no ability to comprehend the world around him, and sure, he may have stumbled into fascism as opposed to carefully planning it, but that doesn’t change the directed messages he uses and the ways he makes no effort to defend against the violent conclusions that follow.

So now, we must ask, what will happen in the aftermath of the 2020 election. How will a president who refused to agree to peacefully conceding the election if he lost, [8] who will likely not see any outcome other than his own reelection as legitimate, react on November 4th? Imagine if Trump wins. Given current political tensions, there could be massive demonstrations in the street, both celebrations that may become high-strung enough to cause violence, protests against his reelection that might turn into riots or may be met with police brutality, and the clash between the two. If Joe Biden wins decisively? Donald Trump may not concede the election. He may ask his supporters to take to the streets, he may tell the white supremacists that he told to “stand back, and stand by” [9] to take up action, to become the heroes in the fascist struggle for power. Shootings like the one in Kenosha might happen again, white supremacist militias might begin exacting violence against minorities, or threatening it if Biden refuses to step aside. If the election is undecided? Well, I wouldn’t be surprised if violence like in both other scenarios may occur.

It is important to recognize that this violence doesn’t come out of nowhere. It isn’t just emotional. It is the conclusion of the rhetoric that Trump uses that emphasizes protecting and purifying the nation of degeneracy, the need for a return to an imagined Golden Age, the need to Make America Great Again.

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Domestic IssuesIsabel RosenNovember 19, 2020Fall 2020Comment