For years now we have been having a conversation….well most sane people have been…..is a Donny a fascist or not?
His actions to me say he is…..and the actions of his sycophants say they are as well…..the tech bros are for sure…..but with all that what is this thing called ‘Trumpism”?
I argued that Trump is a fascist, but more specifically, borrowing from the language of Sheldon Wolin, he is an “inverted fascist.” Inverted fascism, like the fascist regimes in Italy and Germany, is animated by a totalitarian drive, but puts corporate interests above those of the nation state. The Trump administration’s war on Iran is the most extreme manifestation of inverted fascism that we have seen yet.
Inverted fascism is more than simply a collection of policies that are repressive and in the interest of billionaires. It could be understood as a condition in which popular input, at every level, has been usurped by corporate power. This condition is marked by media concentration in the hands of a tiny group of conglomerates facilitated by FCC-authorized mergers; social media owned by right-wing billionaires; lobbyists, campaign donors, and corporate-backed think tanks determining policy; and underfunded schools, mass deportations, and militarized police.
But inverted fascism is also a global condition. In their report on 2025, the first year of Trump’s second term, Oxfam found that billionaire wealth around the world grew by more than 16%, reaching a record $18.3 trillion. This while right-wing governments around the world have taken up different versions of inverted fascism. Benjamin Netanyahu engages in brazen genocide in Gaza and land grabs in the West Bank and Lebanon while hollowing out Israel’s own social services. Narendra Modi oversees unprecedented inequality while forwarding his own Hindu nationalism.
This order, however, is fundamentally unstable as made evident by the inability of the Trump administration to pry open the Strait of Hormuz, the reverberating economic consequences of the war, Iran’s remarkable success in its assault on US and Israeli targets in the region, and the reluctance of US allies toward participating. This war marks a major step in the decline of US hegemony. As that decline unfolds, the brazenness of the violence of capitalism becomes increasingly evident. The assault began with the bombing of a girls’ school that killed over 150, the vast majority of whom were between the ages of eight and twelve.
Decline has been a reality for US global hegemony since it reached its peak following WWII. In 1949, the Chinese Revolution succeeded despite billions in US aid to the Kuomintang nationalists and tens of thousands of marines working alongside Japanese imperialists endeavoring to defeat the Red Army. One letter from US ambassador to China, John Leighton Stuart, to the secretary of state relayed, “Killing, assaulting of peaceful Chinese civilians and raping of Chinese women and robbing of Chinese shops by American forces in China. One United States Marine in Tientsin had thrown 9 year old Chinese girl into river [sic].”
https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/its-going-to-get-a-lot-worse/
Donny’s actions and policies smell suspiciously like fascism…..this point has been debated for years now….the Donny loyalist do not see it….those effected by these policies see it so very clearly….
I know this is all debatable….but I would love to hear you thoughts….good or bad….
I Read, I Write, You Know
“lego ergo scribo”
Because of the shifting paradigms in freedom of speech and the potential disadvantages connected to expressing it, I decline to comment on this one for reasons of personal security.
I respect that….chuq
basically you’re making a statement about not making a statement…I would say, offhand, we generally assume no one will come to arrest us any time soon because of what we say here. Then again I could–oh, wait, someone’s at the do
I get the iidea about the interests of corporations and billionaires, and most accepted fascist states past and present have/had a leader who adores the cult of personality, with a core of devoted followers who are happy to be led. That said, Trump’s current regime falls into that category I suppose.
Best wishes, Pete.
To my thinking it does….and it needs to be fought at every turn. chuq
When this comes up in personal conversations, I turn the question around. “Tell me why Trump ISN’T a fascist,” I ask. I get blank stares, mumbling, and baseless opinions in response. Apparently, it is much easier to define Trump as a fascist than the reverse.
There’s your answer.
And I appreciate your comment….thanx chuq