The Shadow Of Fascism Looms Large
History often repeats itself, but never in exactly the same manner. Hence, wise men believe that it would be a mistake to solve a crisis with the help of past experiences. It is certainly a valuable advice. However, the matter becomes different if there is an underlying similarity between a past and a present event. The similarity can help one to find a particular pattern or sequence or even causality. Donald John Trump‘s Populist Politics has a number of similarities with the rise of Fascism in Europe in the 20th Century.
It may be noted that fascism did not rise through coup d’état or counter-revolution in countries with a long tradition of the Rule of Law and Parliamentary Democracy. Instead, the Fascist rulers came to power through elections and then subjugated the state apparatuses, as well as the political society. The Italian Parliament was almost evenly split between Left-Wing and Conservative factions in 1922, as no party had a clear majority. In such a situation, King Victor Emmanuel III surrendered to Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini‘s ambitions and appointed him Prime Minister! At that time, there were a handful of fascist party members in the Parliament. However, Mussolini immediately strengthened his party through both legal and illegal means, and eventually became a dictator. The Nazi Party was the second largest party in the German Parliament in 1932. President Paul Ludwig Hans Anton von Beneckendorff und von Hindenburg formed an alliance between the Nazi Party and Conservatives in order to keep the Leftists out of the government. He also appointed Adolf Hitler as Chancellor in 1933 with the support of Conservative parties. However, Hitler immediately banned all other parties and consolidated his power.
The Fascist Party was able to seize power because Conservative leaders collaborated with the fascists both inside and outside the Parliament. Conservatives used to believe that Liberals and Leftists were their main enemies. They thought that although fascists were fierce, unruly and violent in nature, they could be easily abandoned after a temporary compromise in order to seize power. In reality, it was not the case as the fascists did not follow the rules of Parliamentary Politics.
Donald Trump’s political career is not quite long. He was known for his real estate business and as a television show host. He was initially a supporter of the Democratic Party and a liberal character. Trump became politically active after Barack Hussein Obama won the Presidential Election in 2008. He started criticising President Obama and the Democrats, stressing that the traditional national heritage of the US was being washed away by the tide of so-called progressive ideology. Trump also claimed that family ties were torn apart in the pretext of Women’s Rights and gender equality, while millions of immigrants from abroad were entering the US, taking away jobs and importing drugs. Trump planned to become the Republican presidential candidate after Obama won the Presidential Election for the second time. Eventually, he became the US President, defeating Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton in the 2016 Presidential Election.
At that period of time, various Republican groups and leaders supported Trump. Republican leaders predicted that Trump’s personal image and growing popularity would help him to win the election. Orthodox Christians, too, backed Trump for the same reason, ignoring his involvement in corruption and scandalous personal life. Among his supporters, the most organised was the radical nationalist group, known as the Tea Party. However, no particular fascist tendencies were observed during his first term as the US President.
The global community observed Trump’s fascist character after he lost the 2020 Presidential Election to Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. He claimed that there was widespread fraud in the election and he did not actually lose. As no legal solution was found, pro-Trump extremist Right-Wing militias of the Tea Party stormed the Capitol Building on January 6, 2021 so that the then Vice President Michael Richard Pence could not officially announce the election results. However, Pence announced the results and Biden was sworn in as President on time. Trump’s attempt to hold on to power by force failed because Conservative leaders in the Republican Party, as well as the Judiciary, did not support this fascist aggression.
Trump has kept only his loyal supporters in the Cabinet after winning the 2024 Presidential Election, not giving due consideration to seasoned Republican leaders. He has also taken actions against illegal immigrants, reduced government spending and frozen Federal Funds for the so-called Liberal-dominated institutions, like universities. As expected, the Right-Wing Conservative leaders did not object to these initiatives of the Trump Administration. The President is implementing these programmes without consulting with the US Congress or the judiciary. Trump has argued that the US is in a state of emergency and his administration needs to resolve all the problems without wasting time.
During his first term in office, President Trump had decided to build a 1,044km-long wall along the US-Mexico border in order to reduce illegal immigration to the US from the neighbouring country. However, foreigners were given the opportunity to be recognised as refugees by following the legal procedure during Biden’s Presidency. Now, the Trump Administration has started sending immigrants back to their own countries on military or cargo aircraft without seeking judicial approval. Migrants from countries which have refused to take their citizens back are being sent to a notorious prison in El Salvador. Experts believe that President Trump’s real intention is to create fear among immigrants. Human Rights organisations have moved the court, opposing Trump’s decision to forcefully deport immigrants. However, the Trump Administration has argued that the judiciary has no jurisdiction to intervene in this particular matter as the government is using wartime powers to deport illegal immigrants from the country in accordance with a 200-year-old law. Although several courts have ordered to halt the process, the Trump Administration has refused to follow the order.
Republican leaders have long complained that the number of employees and costs in various government departments have increased excessively because of various social welfare projects undertaken by the Liberals. Trump has taken an unprecedented approach to reduce the government expenditure this time, appointing his business tycoon friend Elon Reeve Musk to lead the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). As Musk made an attempt to lay off government staff, the Defence Department and the Income Tax Department objected to the move, stressing that much of their information was highly confidential which could not be handed over to outsiders. However, the President ignored their appeal. The foreign aid and education sector were the worst hit by the layoffs. Not all Republicans are happy with this massive layoff campaign triggered by a person outside the government. However, no one has dared to oppose the move openly.
The Conservatives are of the opinion that the prestigious US universities have become the epicentre of Ultra-Liberal Progressivism. They have alleged that the high-paid professors conduct research on incomprehensible subjects there, apart from teaching progressive lessons to the children of wealthy, highly-educated families. Hence, students stage protests on issues, such as racism, gender politics, Palestinian Statehood, etc., at those universities throughout the year. Ever since the protests over the Gaza War in 2024, Republican lawmakers have been threatening to cut off federal funding to universities if they were unable to stop anti-Israel rhetoric on their campuses and to punish protesters. Almost immediately after Trump became the 47th US President, Columbia University received a notice in which it was clearly mentioned that the university would not receive federal funding for research until anti-Israel protests stop. Although Columbia University has decided to follow the government order, Harvard University has refused to accept it, stressing that the government has no right to dictate terms and conditions of a private university. Then, President Trump has threatened to impose income tax on Harvard University, apart from cancelling visas of foreign students and researchers in an attempt to send them back to their countries.
As far as social ideology is concerned, the Conservatives have opined that minorities should not enjoy special privileges in government offices or educational institutions based on race, gender and social status in the pretext of protecting the so-called diversity. With this, the Conservatives have actually encouraged the traditional dominance of White men in US society. The Trump Administration has made it clear that it would not implement policies to ensure social diversity.
Representatives of those who were seen storming the Capitol Building in January 2021 are now at the top of the Trump Administration. They continue to terrorise the opposition, critics and the common people by disrespecting democratic values and principles. On the other hand, Conservatives are backing President Trump. Supreme Court judges have remained cautious so far, as they are not interested in engaging in an open conflict with the Trump Administration. The President has started taking punitive actions against those attorneys (and also law firms) who previously participated in various cases against him. In other words, almost all the prerequisites for fascist rule have been met.
Trump has also taken a huge risk, the consequences of which are unknown. The US President imposed heavy duties on the import of foreign products in the first week of April 2025 as he does not believe in well-established Economic Theories. He was confident that imposing higher tariffs on all countries would eliminate the US’ trade deficit, increase industrial production and create more job opportunities for his countrymen. He also imposed additional tariffs on China in an attempt to reduce the dominance of the Asian Giant in the global market. However, the move has hit the global stock markets hard. Furthermore, the American bonds, considered the world’s most reliable debt instruments, suddenly began to sell off. As a result, the unwavering trust in the US Dollar that had been established for so long suddenly seemed shaky. President Trump immediately dropped new tariff rates on imports from most US trade partners, except China, to 10% for 90 days in order to allow trade negotiations with those countries.
It is difficult to predict whether the US President would win the Tariff War against China. According to Economic Theory, no one wins a tariff war, everyone loses. Now, the US citizens would have to pay more for necessary commodities. Savings, investments, pensions, etc. would also be affected due to the collapse in the stock market. It seems that Trump’s conservative supporters would not be able to trust him anymore.
Trump has already started saying that although he cannot run for a third term as President as per the US Constitution, he knows a way to circumvent that rule. It is evident in European history that once fascists come to power, they do not easily relinquish it (in accordance with the rules of the Constitution).
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