Not only can “It” happen here, “It” is happening and that “It” is the rise of Fascism courtesy of Trump

Fascism is the enemy of democracy

If you ever wondered what it was like to live in early 1930's Germany, we are all getting a sense with Donald Trump and the fascist MAGA movement.

The similarities between Trump’s current tactics and Hitler’s rise to power in 1930’s Germany are no longer being whispered after Trump’s speech Saturday. They are being shouted—and they should be.

During Trump’s speech on Veteran’s Day, he copied a common Hitler tactic by labeling his political enemies as “vermin” who live “within the confines of our country that lie and steal and cheat on elections.”  Trump—as fascist leaders have long done—continued on to paint his political opponents as the real enemies of our nation, telling his cheering supporters, “the threat from outside forces is far less sinister, dangerous and grave than the threat from within.”

Historians and experts on fascism were quick to raise red flags about Trump’s language. Timothy Naftali, a senior research scholar at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs told the Washington Post about Trump’s speech:  “The language is the language that dictators use to instill fear. When you dehumanize an opponent, you strip them of their constitutional rights to participate securely in a democracy because you’re saying they’re not human.” He added, “That’s what dictators do.”

Ruth Ben-Ghiat, my friend and a historian at New York University, said in “calling people 'vermin’ was used effectively by Hitler and Mussolini to dehumanize people and encourage their followers to engage in violence.”

But it was Yale University professor Jason Stanley, author of "How Fascism Works, words that were the most chilling, telling ABC News: "It doesn't echo 'Mein Kampf.' This is textbook 'Mein Kampf.'" Stanley explained, "Trump's comments are remarkably evocative particularly of Hitler's rants against Marxists and socialists.”  He added, "In another regard, this is worse than Nazi propaganda.”

And headline after headline sounded alarms that Trump was literally copying Hitler’s language and playbook. We saw that from The Washington Post’s article, “Trump calls political enemies ‘vermin,’ echoing dictators Hitler, Mussolini” to USA Today’s “Donald Trump's use of the word 'vermin' draws more comparisons to Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini” to The Guardian’s “White House berates Trump for echoing Hitler by calling opponents ‘vermin.’”

What has been the response of GOP leaders?  Silence or even defense of Trump.  “Is that worse than ‘deplorables’? I don’t use that kind of language, but it’s a free country,” GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham said Monday citing a comment former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton repeated about Trump supporters in 2016.

MAGA queen Marjorie Taylor Greene went even further, defending Trump comments and then adding, “I would say that the Democrats are 1930s fascists and Nazis and your publication is horrible.”  

It’s telling that one of the few Republicans who denounced Trump’s words isn’t in office any longer, Liz Cheney.  After GOP national chair Ronna McDaniel did not want to condemn Trump’s “vermin” language when appearing on a Sunday morning news show, Cheney responded on social media that McDaniel “refuses to condemn the GOP’s leading candidate for using the same Nazi propaganda that mobilized 1930s-40s Germany to evil, it’s fair to assume she’s collaborating.” Cheney added, “History will judge Ronna McDaniel and every Republican who is appeasing this dangerous man.”

Trump’s new language is simply a ratcheting up of his 2024 campaign theme. Look what Trump said at CPAC earlier this year: “I am your warrior. I am your justice.” He then added, “And for those who have been wronged and betrayed: I am your retribution.”

Have you ever heard a leading American presidential candidate vow retribution on behalf of his supporters against their perceived political enemies?! Of course not. That is not the language of people involved in a democratic Republic. It’s the language of dictators and fascists.

And like Hitler, Trump at CPAC then painted his fellow countrymen and women as the true threat to the nation. Trump told the cheering crowd: “We will drive out the globalists. We will cast out the communists. We will throw off the political class that hates our country.” Building to a crescendo, he then went after RINOs and Biden, finally bellowing, “We will liberate America from these villains and scoundrels once and for all.”

Again, when have you heard a leading political figure speak of “liberating” America from their political opponents?! You haven’t because it is not something said by American politicians—it’s said by those like Hitler.  

Recently we have seen Trump vow to prosecute those who dared to try to hold him accountable. Again, nothing we’ve ever seen in American politics.

And Trump has despicably pledged to pardon the Jan 6 attackers who brutally beat police officers in an effort to keep Trump in power. He has also opened his rallies with a rendition of the national anthem sung by Jan 6 terrorists who are in prison for their actions in support of Trump’s coup.  Again this is taking a page from Hitler’s playbook who publicly honored those who were killed as part of his failed 1923 Beer Hall Putsch (coup attempt.) Trump—like Hitler—is making political martyrs of those who made sacrifices for his movement.

What adds to the concern that Trump—and those who advise him—are consciously following Hitler’s playbook is because Hitler came to power by way of elections in a Republic. (The Weimar Republic.) They understand that democracy can be used to end a democracy.

Does anyone actually believe that if Trump wins in 2024 he leaves the White House peacefully when his term ends? After all, Trump didn’t leave peacefully in 2020 after losing.

Please don't think Trump supporters are not paying attention to Trump's quoting of Hitler or his pledge of revenge against all those he deems the enemies of America. MAGA gets it and they LOVE it. Bluntly, there is a real danger to all of us who reject MAGA and their fascist agenda.

We are living through a time that historians will study for years to come. The question will be do those historians write about how Americans united to save our Republic or how America lost its democracy?  The answer to the question depends on how we respond over the next year leading into the November 2024 election. This is not only our nation’s most important election, but it also very well could be our last.

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