US Presidential Election Republican Trump ‘Fascist’ Democrat Harris ‘Enemy of Democracy’

US Presidential Election Republican Trump ‘Fascist’ Democrat Harris ‘Enemy of Democracy’

In the US presidential election, Republican candidate Trump was called a ‘fascist’ and Democratic candidate Harris was called an ‘enemy of democracy’, and ‘fascism’ became the focus of controversy.

On the 24th, just two weeks before the election, former four-star Marine Corps general and former President Trump’s chief of staff, John Kelly, shockingly publicly criticized his former boss and called him a ‘fascist’ in an interview with the New York Times.

In the interview article, the NYT reported that “the former general did not hesitate to claim that Trump is a person who fits the description of a ‘fascist’” and that he said, “If you look at the definition of fascism, fascism is a far-right, authoritarian, ultranationalist political ideology and movement characterized by a dictatorial leader, centralized dictatorship, militarism, forced suppression of opposition, and a belief in a natural social hierarchy.” ABC reported on the 24th that “there is a debate among historians and political scientists about whether Trump fully fits this definition of fascism,” and published a commentary by political scientists.

In an interview with ABC News, Sherry Berman, a professor of political science at Columbia University’s Barnard College, said, “Fascists are totalitarian, not only in their goal of controlling politics, but also in their goal of reorganizing society and controlling the economy.” “These were essentially violent movements. They used violence as a means to seize power or conquer other parts of the world, but they believed that violence was an end in itself, and there was this kind of cleansing and empowering aspect to it, which in turn would contribute to changing society and changing the individuals who make up society.”

Rutgers University political scientist Mark Bray told ABC that fascism is “rooted in a desire to return to an imagined past where natural hierarchies were respected, hierarchies based on nationalism, gender or race, and mass politics focused on violence to get there.”

Historically, Bray said, fascists have not been bound by “rational consistency,” so their policy positions have changed many times, as seen with Italian dictator Benito Mussolini and Nazi German dictator Adolf Hitler. “There are differences between Trump and ‘Trumpism’ as a political movement, and I believe there are similarities to fascism.”

Professor Bray continued, “I would call Trumpism explicitly a form of 21st-century American fascism,” adding that “Trump’s most ardent fans may view themselves as ‘victims who must overcome the limits of democratic politics,’ and are using restrictive violence to reclaim their country, their people, or their society.” Professor Bray continued, “I believe that Trump’s relationship with his supporters has had a fundamental influence on his policies,” and “I think those plans are coming through more strongly, and the foundation of Trumpism is more genuine at the state level, at the county level,” explaining the stronger fascist tendencies in local political organizations.

Professor Bray stopped short of calling Trump a “fascist” in the traditional sense and distinguished it from fascism, saying, “He (Trump) does not embrace all the ideals of historical fascists,” and “For example, fascists have historically rejected free-market capitalism, unlike Trump.”
Professor Bray added that calling Trump a “fascist” suggests, “I think the term fascist implies that he is more of a fascist than I actually think.”

Professor Berman did not define Trump as a fascist, but called him “anti-democratic” and “authoritarian.”
Professor Berman said, “That’s why Trump is a ‘radical leftist. “It does not mean that the fascist tendencies do not coincide with the modern political phenomenon that encourages violence, such as Trump’s remarks about mobilizing the National Guard to hunt down ‘madmen’ or his naturalistic rhetoric and Trump’s plan to deport millions of undocumented immigrants,” he said. “It is to help us understand the phenomenon being described.”
“The ongoing debate raises questions about whether the use of the term fascist is helpful when discussing Trump and modern politics,” Berman said. “The confusion and mystification surrounding the term only obscures its impact, and the reason I emphasize his anti-democratic and illiberal aspects is to point out specific policies and plans that Trump has made because it gives citizens something very specific to focus on.”
He continued that the issue of terminology “helps us understand how dangerous it is to label someone a fascist,” interpreting the meaning of Trump’s fascist label.

Former Chief of Staff Kelly said of Trump’s fascist label, “I think this issue of using the military to track down American citizens is one of the very bad things that has happened.” "I think it's a very bad thing to even say something like this for political purposes to get elected, let alone actually do it," he told the Times.

On the night of the two candidates' CNN town hall meeting, Harris called Trump a "fascist" and said that Kelly's criticism of Trump was an effort to "call 911 to the American people."
Trump slammed Harris's remarks on his Truth Social, calling Harris a "threat to democracy," and changing "fascist" to Hitler, saying, "Harris called Hitler."

Trump wrote on social media, "Comrade Kamala Harris knows she's losing, and she's losing badly, especially after losing the primary to the crooked Joe Biden," and "now she's escalating the rhetoric, calling me Adolf Hitler, and everything else that comes to her in her twisted mind."

Trump continued, “She is a threat to democracy and unfit to be president of the United States — and her polls show that!”

The town hall “provided an opportunity to shake up the last sliver of voters who may be questioning Harris’s ability to serve as president,” ABS reported, “especially since Pennsylvania, where the town hall was held, is a key battleground state.”