What do you think of Donald Trump being the president? It’s an execrable thing. He is the worst we have ever had, by far. The man has no morals; he is wholly dedicated only to the god Trump. Nothing concerns him except what he believes will be beneficial to him.
Do you think it’s accurate how people say he reminds America of Hitler? Yes…and no. Dan Hodges wrote an excellent article in the New Statesman in an attempt to address the conservative canard that Hitler was a socialist. His conclusion is that this is a way of thinking that is too easy and lazy, and ignores the reality. You can read the article for his reasons, but what stuck with me is what it was he said about Hitler that does remind me of Trump:
“Anyone who has studied Hitler’s rise to power knows he was no socialist. He was an opportunist, even a political schizophrenic…Pin the ideology on the Führer is a fun game. Actually, it’s quite a tasteless game. But we can all play it…But does it matter? Yes, it does, actually. Hitler wasn’t a socialist, nor was he a conservative. He was a political mutation. And to try to place him anywhere on the conventional political spectrum is not just to abuse history but to play a dangerous game with the future.”
“(Don’t ever call Hitler a socialist)
I was stunned! All you need to do is substitute “Trump” for Hitler and you get exactly the same truth:
“Anyone who has studied Trump’s rise to power knows he is no socialist (Democrat). He is an opportunist, even a political schizophrenic…Pin the ideology on the Trump is a fun game. Actually, it’s quite a tasteless game. But we can all play it…But does it matter? Yes, it does, actually. Trump isn’t a socialist (Democrat), nor is he a conservative (Republican). He is a political mutation. And to try to place him anywhere on the conventional political spectrum is not just to abuse history but to play a dangerous game with the future.”
All that said, Trump does exhibit fascistic affinities: “Fascism is a form of radical authoritarian nationalism, characterized by dictatorial power, forcible suppression of opposition and control of industry and commerce.” (Fascism – Wikipedia)
(1) Authoritarian nationalism: He has declared himself to be the only person who can save America and one of his campaign slogans is borrowed straight from the American Nazi sympathizers pre-WW II: “America First!”
(2) Dictatorial power: He has demonstrated an extreme dislike, even hatred, for the limitations the Constitution places on the powers of the presidency. He despises the courts, unless they rule the ways he wants, and hates even a Congress which is run by his own party for not rubber-stamping his every whim and fancy.
(3) Forcible suppression of opposition: He is actively searching for ways to circumvent or stop a legitimate investigation into criminal behavior by members of his administration and hopes to control the free press, to punish them for exposing damaging truths about him and his administrations.
(4) Control of industry and commerce? He exhibits less of this tendency specifically, but so far, industry and commerce are all in bed with him, so there is little reason for him to complain.
Hodges finishes off with a warning. Note that the article was written in 2013, before anyone thought Trump would run for office:
“Hitler has gone but his progeny are very much alive. In Hungary, they are calling for a register of Jews to be drawn up. One, a mass murderer, is languishing in a Norwegian jail. A few are pushing their leaflets through the front doors on east London housing estates.
“There is one thing political extremists crave more than anything else and that is entry to the mainstream – and by branding such people ‘socialists’ or ‘conservatives’ we unlatch the door and pull back the bolt.
“Hitler was Hitler, a grotesque one-off. Or he will be, if we avoid bestowing unnecessary respectability on those who dream of following him.” (ibid.)
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