I’m going to spell out why Donald Trump needs to be impeached immediately.

FASCISM

At the risk of losing readers before they even begin, we need a detailed talk about Fascism. This area needs a *lot* of detail, so I’m going to break it into a few segments.

So, to start with, what is Fascism?

Some people start with the dictionary, and it’s as good a place as any.

Definition of FASCISM

a political philosophy, movement, or regime (such as that of the Fascisti) that exalts nation and often race above the… www.merriam-webster.com

  1. often capitalized : a political philosophy, movement, or regime (such as that of the Fascisti) that exalts nation and often race above the individual and that stands for a centralized autocratic government headed by a dictatorial leader, severe economic and social regimentation, and forcible suppression of opposition
  2. a tendency toward or actual exercise of strong autocratic or dictatorial control

Trump is authoritarian, there is no doubt about this. If you are achieving your goals through manipulation, intimidation, trickery or force rather than through the Democratic process, then you’re an authoritarian.

Autocratic, however, is a bit more complicated. If the action you take is illegal, but no one stops you, are you an autocrat with absolute power? It’s not a clear cut case, like if you changed the law to exclude you, but I would say without a doubt.

Trump, like any narcissist, tests boundaries. When there is a lack of repercussions they push further. Even if there are things that they would personally not want to do, they begin to believe they’re untouchable. This frees them up to do whatever they view as “the thing that needs to be done”.

Dangerous Case of Donald Trump

Mussolini believed he was untouchable right up until his people murdered him and strung him up by his feet. He did not understand that he lost their love when he brought them to war sacrificing their families.

I believe that you’d need to be a narcissist to believe you’re untouchable no matter what you do.

The dictionary definition, however, is rather simplistic. There are a number of other useful lenses to view the term in as well. Even experts tend to disagree on where to focus.

Fascisti, or Italian Fascism. This is the party of Mussolini that ruled Italy from 1922 until 1945. Mussolini and his Black Shirts controlled the country in most regards with nearly complete support of the people up until the end. Other than the awkward alliance between Mussolini and the Catholic Church, he had absolute rule.

Mussolini came to power after World War I. Italy had been on the side of the allies during the war, but had suffered large losses. The Italian people were angry, and they believed Mussolini could solve their problems.

How Mussolini Took Power (And Destroyed Italy)

On March 23, 1919, but four months after the armistice that ended the Great War-100 young toughs, ex-Italian Army war… nationalinterest.org

“Make Love — not America great again.” by universaldilletant is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Mussolini was a former Socialist who believed in strong government support for the people. He broke with the socialist ideal however in that he wanted to unify the people towards a single goal. A rallying cry to bring back the greatness of Rome.

To Make Italy Great Again.

Trump’s brand of Nationalism is very much in line with the Fascisti.

Trump also took power with the support of a beleaguered citizenry tired of constant war, poverty and lack of opportunity.

Who look at the world through their religion and attribute all the evils around them to the wrong biblical sources. Somehow accepting the industry and societal greed that have kept them down for so long.

The Fascisti were violent. Much of the violence, however, was done by his black-shirted supporters, and not always under any specific direct orders.

Trump does not need to incite violence, he just needs to shift focus away from it.

Wray on white nationalism

Wray on white nationalismwww.c-span.org

FBI warned of white supremacists in law enforcement 10 years ago. Has anything changed?

Increased attention toward the killing of black men and women by police throughout the past year has ignited national… www.pbs.org

Trump Says He Doesn’t See White Nationalism as a Rising Global Threat After New Zealand Shooting

President Trump said he doesn’t see white nationalism as a global threat, after 49 people were killed in shootings at… time.com

Benito Mussolini was the leader of the Fascisti and of Italy. He believed in himself above all else.

Trump Defends Retweeting Mussolini Quote: “It Got Your Attention, Didn’t It?”

NBC’s Chuck Todd asks Donald Trump to defend the fact that he retweeted a quote from Italian World War Two-era dictator… www.realclearpolitics.com

“Mussolini liked to declare that he himself was the definition of Fascism. The will and leadership of a Duce was what a modern people needed, not a doctrine.”

Robert O Paxton — Anatomy of Facism

Trump: I consult myself on foreign policy

Donald Trump finally shared the name of someone he consults on foreign policy: himself. Asked on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe”… www.politico.com

“I know what I’m doing and I listen to a lot of people, I talk to a lot of people and at the appropriate time I’ll tell you who the people are,” Trump said. “But my primary consultant is myself and I have a good instinct for this stuff.”

Similarities abound.

Nationalism/Racism with a dictatorial leader. MAGA is Nationalism. There’s no doubt there.

I personally believe there is enough public information about actions that I would consider to be racist. The money spent to convict the innocent Central Park Five is enough for me.

Trump digs in on Central Park 5: ‘They admitted their guilt’

He called for them to get the death penalty after they were arrested and their criminal convictions were later vacated… www.nbcnews.com

“You have people on both sides of that,” Trump said of the case on Tuesday. “They admitted their guilt. If you look at Fairstein, and if you look at some of the prosecutors, they think that the city should never have settled that case, so we’ll leave it at that.”

Let’s put Trump aside for a moment. A significant share of Trump’s supporters is openly racist. I’ve spoken to White Supremacists, Christian Supremacists, White Nationalists, and a woman who supported Genocide, but “only if they deserve it”.

Does that count? Well, it seems to according to Robert O Paxton’s view in his book Anatomy of Fascism.

“Fascism in power is a compound, a powerful amalgam of different but marriageable conservative, national-socialist and radical Right ingredients, bonded together by common enemies and common passions for a regenerated, energized, and purified nation at whatever cost to free institutions and the rule of law…Fascism in action looks much more like a network of relationships than a fixed essence.”

By this definition is Trump a Fascist? I’d say Yes.

If Trump does not support the Racists, they certainly think he does and feel empowered by them. That is the danger of failing to denounce racism.

“Why we voted for Donald Trump”: David Duke explains the white supremacist Charlottesville protests

David Duke, the former KKK grand wizard, is unambiguous about what Saturday’s alt-right and neo-Nazi rally in… www.vox.com