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26.01.2026.

10:44

"Yes, what Trump is doing is fascism"

The political system that Donald Trump is building today can no longer be described simply as authoritarianism or populism, but rather as a form of 21st-century fascism, writes American journalist and political analyst Jonathan Rauch for The Atlantic.

Izvor: Index.hr

"Yes, what Trump is doing is fascism"
Morten / News Licensing / Profimedia

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Rauch readily admits that for years he refused to use the term fascism for Trump. Partly because the term is vague and often abused, partly because historical fascisms differ from one another, and partly because Trump did not fully fit the classic patterns of Mussolini or Hitler during his first term.

Previously, he described Trump’s rule as patrimonialism—a system in which the leader treats the state as personal property and an extension of his own business. But, Rauch emphasizes, patrimonialism is a style of governance, not an ideology. Fascism is something else: aggressive, revolutionary, and aimed at crushing resistance and reshaping society.

Why did this change?

Over the past year, Rauch writes, Trump’s project has ceased to be merely a personal grab for power and has begun to take on clear ideological and operational elements of fascism.

There is talk of territorial claims, demands for unlimited power, open admiration for authoritarian regimes, politicization of the judiciary, demonstrative brutality, the creation of paramilitary structures, and systematic violations of rights.

“When the facts change, I change my mind,” Rauch writes. Overall, he adds, the reluctance to name it for what it is becomes misleading.

Breaking norms, deliberately trampling civility, and the use of force

Fascism, Rauch explains, consciously destroys civic norms because they stand in its way. Trump has been doing this from the start: insulting war veterans, journalists, women, minorities, and migrants.

This is not a coincidence; it is a method. Mocking civility creates space for fear, resentment, and the need for domination—emotions with which liberal democracy cannot compete.

And while liberal states use violence as a last resort, fascism glorifies it. Rauch cites Trump’s praise of violent mobs, justifications for torture, fantasies about shooting protesters and journalists, and propaganda footage of raids and arrests produced by the government itself.

Violence is not a side effect, but a message: power is demonstrated through force.

“Force is right”

The fascist worldview is based on the idea that the strong do what they want and the weak suffer. Rauch recalls Trump’s humiliation of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office, as well as a statement by Stephen Miller:

“We live in a world ruled by force, force and power. These are the iron laws of the world.”

 

Such an attitude, Rauch writes, is completely at odds with the American and Christian moral tradition, but fits perfectly into fascist logic.

Politicization of justice

Fascism recognizes the law only when it suits it. Trump has openly called for the imprisonment of political opponents, downplayed the Constitution, and turned federal institutions into tools of revenge.

Reuters recorded that more than 470 individuals and institutions have been targets of retaliation since Trump returned to office. That alone, Rauch concludes, would be enough to push the United States dangerously toward a fascist model.

Dehumanization and enemies of the people

Fascism needs enemies who are “vermin,” “trash,” “subhuman.” Trump describes immigrants as people who “poison the blood of the country,” political opponents as “scum,” while his vice president openly speaks of “subhumans.”

Such language is not mere rhetorical excess—it serves to legitimize repression.

Police state and collective punishment

Rauch describes the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as a massive paramilitary structure with nearly unlimited powers, and a budget larger than most national armies. Arrests without warrants, masked agents, deliberate displays of force, and public humiliation—all of this recalls classic fascist tactics.

Protests are met with the mass deployment of federal forces, not to maintain order, but to intimidate.

Attacks on the media

Trump has declared the media “enemies of the people,” threatened to revoke their licenses, sued them, manipulated ownership, and selectively granted access.

Rauch warns: this is the same pattern Viktor Orbán used in Hungary. The only difference is that the American system is more resilient—for now.

Aggression and contempt for international law

In his second term, Trump no longer hides his territorial ambitions: threats to Greenland, openly predatory policies toward Venezuela, contempt for alliances and international law.

These, Rauch writes, are moves reminiscent of Europe in the 1930s.

Cult of the leader

“Only I can fix this” is not a slip of the tongue, but a program. Trump is building a personality cult, openly seeing himself above the Constitution and institutions.

As he himself told The New York Times: the only limits to his power are his mind and his morals.

Why it is important to call it by its proper name

Rauch ultimately rejects the objection that the word “fascism” alienates voters. On the contrary: if we do not name what we are seeing, we cannot oppose it.

Trump, he concludes, is building something new on old principles. It is not a copy of Mussolini or Hitler, but fascism adapted to the 21st century.

America is not yet a fascist state—institutions, courts, and the media still exist. But it has a fascist president. And to deal with this, we must first clearly say what it is.

 
 

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USA Donald Trump Fascism

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