President Donald Trump's actions like a 'military coup', says expert on fascism - Polidicks

[IMG]https://static.independent.co.uk/s3fs-public/styles/article_small/public/thumbnails/image/2017/02/01/21/trump.jpg[/IMG] [Quote] Donald Trump’s actions during his first fortnight as President are like those of a coup, a historian of fascism has warned. Ruth Ben-Ghiat, professor of history and Italian studies at New York University, is the author of “Italian Facism’s Empire Cinema” and an expert on fascist history. In a op-ed for CNN, she has warned of the Trump administration: “From their actions and pronouncements, we cannot exclude an intention to carry out a type of coup.” She explains: “Many may raise their eyebrows at my use of this word, which brings to mind military juntas in faraway countries who use violence and the element of surprise to gain power. Our situation is different. "Trump gained power legally but this week has provided many indications that his inner circle intends to shock or strike at the system, using the resulting spaces of chaos and flux to create a kind of government within the government: one beholden only to the chief executive.” Ms Ben-Ghiat continues: “Second is the unleashing of the political purges that authoritarians so love. [/Quote] [URL="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/president-donald-trump-executive-orders-actions-likened-military-coup-historian-expert-fascism-ruth-a7558831.html"] Independent [/URL]

[quote]“Second is the unleashing of the political purges that authoritarians so love.[/quote] Can it not be argued this is already happening, with the State Department being told to leave if they dissent to anything, and the threatening of removing federal funds from just about anything that doesn't cheer "Heil Trump"?

Not sure I'd call it a coup, but he is definitely acting like a dictator. Silencing anyone critiquing him and enforcing his and his friends beliefs on others, while doing every he can to enrich those that support him, is shady as fuck. In fact, shady is an understatement: it's disgraceful that this is allowed to happen in the 21st century, especially in a country like America.

Trump supporters: "He's not a fascist even though his actions fit the definition like a glove" [IMG]https://fi.somethingawful.com/safs/smilies/8/d/sad.001.gif[/IMG]

[QUOTE=TheFilmSlacker;51766637]No kidding. Every morning Trump is one of the first things on my mind because there's always something shocking in the news to wake up to.[/QUOTE] At least 5-6 things today.

on some other Earth the people of Clinton's America are asking "would Trump really have been that bad?" and i want to slap every one of those people in the face with my dick

Will there be soon the partisans ready to get him in case?

It's pretty clear at this point that this administration has a fascist agenda. Deregulation with bullshit populist justification, rallying their party with racist/xenophobic rhetoric, Bannon and Gorsuch's history, etc [QUOTE=Emperor Scorpious II;51766631]Can it not be argued this is already happening, with the State Department [/QUOTE] She goes on to talk about this in the next paragraph, not shown above. How fucked are we?

"we finally have a bastion of free speech because of our glorious leader Donald J. Trump" "he's silencing his dissenters? the media? enforcing his own beliefs onto others? destroying religious freedom [B]on a nation built on just that?[/B]" [B]"What's the issue?"[/B]

[QUOTE=Kagu;51766919]"we finally have a bastion of free speech because of our glorious leader Donald J. Trump" "he's silencing his dissenters? the media? enforcing his own beliefs onto others? destroying religious freedom [B]on a nation built on just that?[/B]" [B]"What's the issue?"[/B][/QUOTE] FREE SPEECH!!!* *for us only lol

It really is textbook authoritarianism. I don't really think "fascist" is the correct term, though - there's intricacies in how Trump is doing things that don't mesh with regular definitions of fascism. It's like a watered-down Trump-branded fascism. Trump totally lacks the militarism of older forms of fascism - in fact, our military leaders are pretty principally opposed to a lot of Trump's ideas. It's incredibly hard to come up with [URL="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Definitions_of_fascism"]one distinct definition of fascism[/URL] and it's a pretty essentially contested concept. Trump/Bannon's visions could be stretched and bent to fit into definitions of fascism, even without the massive military element of Italian fascism, but it's hard to say. Absolutely, undeniably authoritarian - even after two weeks - but not necessarily fascism or not fascism. Arguments could be made either way.

I've gone from arguing on FP that Trump isn't a fascist to accepting that he is doing pretty facist shit now that he is actually in power. I, and many others in the center, assumed that he would attempt to unify the country by scaling back his most outrageous comments and stances but if anything it seems he has doubled down. Most worrying is his assault on the free press, not only because the POTUS is directly attacking the first amendment, but possibly even more terrifying is that [I]people love him for it. [/I]We as a democracy face an existential threat if bipartisanship reaches the point of not even being able to communicate or decide on basic facts.

I don't think trump is fascist quite yet. But he's #1 with fascists.

[QUOTE=Lambeth;51767177]I don't think trump is fascist quite yet. But he's #1 with fascists.[/QUOTE] The labels are easiest to give in hindsight. The important part is not an answer of "yes" or "no". Neither answer will satisfy anyone. The true important part is that we're at the point where people are [i]seriously[/i] asking themselves this question.

[QUOTE=Lambeth;51767177]I don't think trump is fascist quite yet. But he's #1 with fascists.[/QUOTE] When the arguments against him being a fascist are 'well not entirely', yeah no, he's a fascist.

I don't think it's like a military coup at all I think it's a lot more like a regular coup [quote=The Dictionary] 1. A sudden and decisive action in politics, especially one resulting in a change of government illegally or by force.[/quote]

[QUOTE=Zonesylvania;51766644]Trump supporters: "He's not a fascist even though his actions fit the definition like a glove" [IMG]https://fi.somethingawful.com/safs/smilies/8/d/sad.001.gif[/IMG][/QUOTE] "He's being alt-presidential".

When the courts put a hold order on deportations and the CBP continued to do it because "the boss told us to" then you know fascism is at the doorstep.

[QUOTE=1239the;51767520]When the courts put a hold order on deportations and the CBP continued to do it because "the boss told us to" then you know fascism is at the doorstep.[/QUOTE] No but you see you can't call him a fascist because this one time the Democrats did something kinda similar and he doesn't fit every single definition perfectly so it's all okay