Definition Fascism & Gunter Grass from 1960s.

 

Fascism is a form of authoritarian, ultranationalist politics that seeks to subordinate individual rights and political pluralism to the perceived interests and unity of the nation, usually under a powerful leader or ruling movement.

There isn't one universally agreed-upon definition, but historians generally associate fascism with several characteristics:

• Extreme nationalism: The nation is portrayed as an organic community whose interests take precedence over individual or group interests.

Trump does champion the country more than the two previous presidents.  

• Authoritarian leadership: Political authority is concentrated in a leader or ruling movement, rather than being genuinely constrained by democratic institutions.

He has made a number of presidential decisions some of which the courts have shut down -- including about DEI -- but nothing like opening the borders. 

• Rejection of liberal democracy: Fascist movements typically reject political pluralism, liberal individualism, and competing centers of political power.

Others are running for office, making speeches in which they criticize him, protesting against him.  Nothing happens to him. 

• Mass political mobilization: Rather than simply suppressing politics, fascists seek to mobilize the population around the nation, leader, and movement.

He does have the MAGA movement but they don't protest, burn or loot.  They go to some peaceful rallies. 

• Glorification of strength and struggle: Conflict, discipline, military virtues, sacrifice, and sometimes violence are celebrated as means of national renewal.

Military and sacrifices as a means of national renewal but Kennedy was also promoting sacrafice as a part of national renewal.  

• Identification of internal enemies: Political opponents or minority groups may be portrayed as threats to the nation's survival.

Yes.  But previously Maga.

• Suppression of opposition: Independent political parties, media, unions, and other organizations are weakened, controlled, or eliminated.

Opposition is strong.  Opposition has been elected in many parts of the country. 

• A vision of national regeneration: Fascism generally presents itself as a solution to perceived national decline, promising to restore unity, greatness, and order.

Yes.

The classic historical examples are Mussolini's Italy and Hitler's Germany, although Nazism is a particular and especially radical form of fascism rather than simply a synonym for it.

One important distinction: authoritarianism isn't necessarily fascism. A dictatorship can be authoritarian without being fascist. Fascism involves a particular combination of ultranationalism, mass political mobilization, authoritarian leadership, rejection of liberal pluralism, and a project of national regeneration.

Also, simply calling something "fascist" because it is repressive or because one dislikes its politics is not a useful definition. The term has a specific historical and political meaning.

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Tom Wolfe giving a speech at Princeton in the 1960.  

Support came from a quarter I hadn’t counted on. It was [Gunter] Grass, speaking in English.

“For the past hour I have my eyes fixed on the doors here,” he said. “You talk about fascism and police repression. In Germany when I was a student, they come through those doors long ago. Here they must be very slow.”

Grass was enjoying himself for the first time all evening. He was not simply saying, “You really don’t have so much to worry about.” He was indulging his sense of the absurd. He was saying: “You American intellectuals—you want so desperately to feel besieged and persecuted!”