I must admit that an old friend of mine who spent time there WE As a senior diplomat who observes closely Donald Trumphe simply and chillingly described the then-president to me as a “fascist.”

The term was often treated as an insult by the left, and the currency lost some value due to overuse. But my interlocutor was serious, sober and firm; This man’s threat was very real and rightfully comparable to the threat of a movement that had engulfed the world in the 20th century. disaster war.

The debate about Trump’s “fascist” nature was largely confined to academia until he got into journalism. Bob Woodward His recently taboo-breaking new book revealed that General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 2019 to 2023, openly warned: “No one has ever been more dangerous to this country than Donald Trump. Now I understand that he is a complete fascist. “He is the most dangerous person for this country.”

Kamala Harris has now justified the use of this termconfirming a claim by John Kelly, Trump’s longest-serving chief of staff, in the New York Times He said Trump “meets the definition of a fascist, would rule like a dictator if allowed, and has no understanding of the constitution or the rule of law.”

The most important thing about the use of the “F” word is not the precise historical accuracy of the comparison, but the nature of the threat, namely what he will do or plans to do in the second term. But it remains unclear whether impeachment, no matter how authoritative, will sway voters’ intentions.

Shawn McCreesh of the New York Times She warns that Trump supporters are “happy to vote for him because they don’t believe he will do a lot of the things he says he will do.” Atlantic’s Salena Zito weighed in 2016 “The press takes it literally but doesn’t take it seriously; his supporters take him seriously, but not literally.” But Democratic analysts Michael Podhortzer reflectsvoters are “in danger of sleepwalking towards fascism… the most worrying thing right now is that America is not alarmed enough, given we know what a second Trump Administration would mean”.

Trump’s rhetoric is best interpreted as both serious and literal. Its rhetoric and practice owe much to the fascist movement: nativism, scapegoating of immigrants and foreigners, blatant lies, demonization of ruling elites and the “deep state conspiracy,” labeling and, if possible, prosecution of political rivals as the “enemy within,” opposition to dissidents and state institutions. willingness to consider and even encourage the use of violence (street thugs or rogue police forces). Racism, misogyny and open skepticism about democratic institutions and praise from like-minded authoritarians internationally (Orbans, Erdogans, Putins) are important parts of the package.

( Fintan O’Toole: Testing efforts against fascism continue at full speedOpens in new window )

This is not an exaggeration. Trump on October 13 I promised Prioritizing the prosecution of US citizens – “domestic threats are more dangerous than China, Russia, all these countries”. “We have very bad people,” he warned. “We have some sick people, radical left lunatics. And I think these are big ones and should be easily handled by the National Guard if necessary, or by the military if really necessary…”

in July 2023 Real Social postHis language was apocalyptic: “This is the last war. We will destroy the deep state together with you. We will expel the warmongers from our government, we will expel the globalists, we will expel the communists, we will expel the sick political class that hates us, we will defeat the fake news media, and we will rid America of these bad guys. once and for all.”

He talked about mass forced deportations of illegal immigrants and mass firings of “disloyal” public officials, detailed by supporters of Project 2025, although this was convincingly denied by Trump.

Some supporters say Trump doesn’t really mean it, others say he means it but will still be constrained by “guardrails” in the system, constitutional and administrative hurdles, and the reluctance of those around him to carry out his most dire orders. Even his own appointees and Supreme Court appointees, such as Vice President Mike Pence and reluctant attorneys general, have sometimes opposed it.

But Trump made his disappointment clear and said he would be more selective, saying only those who pass the loyalty test would be allowed to serve. And this Supreme Court made the outrageous decision that he could claim immunity from certain actions taken as president.

These formal and unofficial guardrails are evidence of the constitutional solidity of the U.S. political system, even in the face of a rogue president, unlike in Turkey, Russia, and Hungary. So will they be able to survive the second term?

Is Trump a fascist? Definitely a wannabe fascist. U.S. history, most notably the nativist, virulently anti-immigrant, and anti-Irish-Catholic movement of the 1840s and 50s, “Americans must rule America” ​​Know Nothing. They were also not reluctant to use violence against those they believed to be a threat. Like Trump’s fondness for tactically distancing himself from embarrassing allies, the Know-Nothings were so named because members were required to deny the group’s existence when challenged. In a recent post — appropriately — Trump lied: “I don’t know anything about Project 2025. I have no idea who is behind it.” “I don’t agree with some of the things they say… I wish them luck in whatever they do, but I have nothing to do with them.”

The first Republican president, Abe Lincoln’s perspective on the Know-Nothings seems apt. If they win Lincoln wroteHe would emigrate “to a country where they do not pretend to love freedom – to Russia, for example, where despotism can be taken in its pure form and without the essential mixture of hypocrisy.” Harris should book him.

Patrick Smyth, former Washington Correspondent for The Irish Times