For the Boston Globe, columnist Scot Lehigh gave a stark warning that Donald Trump has “crossed a red line”, one that could be recognized as “full-flung fascism.” The report came after recent comments from Trump, specifically one where he referred to left-wing voters as “vermin.”
“Vermin”: Trump Condemns Opposition
On Veterans Day, Donald Trump spoke at a campaign rally where he told his supporters how he plans to “root out communists, Marxists, fascists, and radical left thugs that live like vermin within the confines of our country.”
Trump Worries for the American Dream
The former president also alleged that the opposition parties he mentions “lie, steal, and cheat on elections, and will do anything possible, whether legally or illegally, to destroy America, and the American Dream.”
“Radical Left Lunatics”
He also posted the statement on Truth Social, where he reiterated his belief that democrats are threatening the integrity of America: “The threat from outside forces is far less sinister, dangerous, and grave, than the threat from within. Despite the hatred and anger of the Radical Left Lunatics who want to destroy our Country, we will MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
“Full-Flung Fascism”
Scot Lehigh, one of many people outraged by Trump’s remarks, wrote for the Boston Globe: “Former president Donald Trump has crossed a red line into championing what we’d recognize as full-flung fascism if it came from the mouth of a foreign leader.”
A Deplorable Rhetoric
Scrutinizing his speech further, Lehigh condemned how Trump seems to get away with using deplorable language: “It demonstrates just how inured we’ve become to Trump’s despicable despotic rhetoric that he’s not ostracized or treated like a renegade to the US Constitution and American democracy.”
Trump Knows No Bounds
He continued that rather than facing tangible backlash or consequence, Trump’s remarks only get worse and that he “remains the front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination. In that role, he obviously feels comfortable espousing views that go well beyond anything he said in his 2016 or 2020 campaigns.”
A Poisonous Politician
Lehigh lamented over the state of Trump’s political strategies and his supporters, asking: “Is there an epiphanic antidote to Trump’s poisoning of our political dialogue, some way to make a significant percentage of Trump followers realize what they’ve gotten swept up in? Probably not, sadly.”
“There Is a Solution”
With the understanding that, according to current polls, “much of MAGA would stay with him even if Trump were to be convicted of federal felonies,” Lehigh urged that there is still a way to solve the possibility of Trump being reelected in 2024. He wrote: “Yet there is a larger solution: the rest of us.”
A Straightforward Understanding
MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow scrutinized how claims that Trump’s views parallel fascism could be labeled as an accusation: “You either are echoing fascists or you aren’t.”
“Mass-Murdering Dictators”
She further analyzed the unsubtle language used by Trump in his speech, specifically the use of “vermin”: “If you know one thing about mass-murdering dictators in history, is that they refer to the people they want to mass-murder as vermin, pests, rats, insects, termites…”
The Difference Between “Something” and “Someone”
She continued that this language may be used by such “dictators” to “make their followers see those people as something to be exterminated, not someone you might know.”
Rebranding Violence
Maddow went on to quote American historian and critic Ruth Ben-Ghiat: “All of this is part of his effort to re-educate Americans to see violence as justified, patriotic, and even morally righteous.” Ben-Ghiat also asserted that “violence is now Trump’s brand.”
“Savvy Authoritarians”: A Brainwashing Tactic
In her article, Ben-Ghiat also stressed how Trump doesn’t want to be viewed as a fascist, despite the fact his recent speech “echoes fascist rhetoric.” On Trump’s recent volatile language, she wrote: “To get people to lose their aversion to violence, savvy authoritarians also dehumanize their enemies. That’s what Trump is doing.”
A Public Outcry
Many people have taken to social media to express their concerns about Trump’s recent comments and his reelection bid. One user wrote: “I never thought I’d see the day when we went from making jokes about Nazis coming to America to now fearing that they’re already here and gaining power at unprecedented levels. It’s like I’m watching the MCU real time where SHIELD gets taken over by Hydra. Except this isn’t fantasy anymore.”
Trump Not the Only Person To Blame
One person affirmed that whilst Trump is a figurehead, he is not the only person in a position of power who has followed fascism: “This has been building for decades now, and Trump is more the result than the catalyst for the current state of obvious fascism that the Republicans are demonstrating right now.”
Propaganda at Play
Another user argued that the media has a big part to play in showing Trump in the truest light possible: “MSNBC plays highlights of Trump’s rallies that put him in the best light possible. Wonder when the last time Fox Propaganda News played a positive Biden clip. Don’t know if MSNBC produced [sic] realize it but they’re pushing incredibly powerful propaganda, to talk mostly negatively against the fascist clown, and then immediately play a clip of him with a very “funny” defense.”
“He’s a Danger”
Discussing Trump’s recent comments, one person argued: “This is why a judge should stop Trump from public speaking.. he’s a danger he needs to wait in jail for his trial so he won’t be as much of a danger.”
“Trump Is Campaigning as a Fascist”
Another person stated that echoes of fascism in Trump’s campaign are intentional: “Trump is campaigning as a fascist. He wants us to believe that he’s a “strong man” who will “do whatever it takes.” It’s his campaign strategy. He’s desperate to win.”
Pointing the Finger at the Wrong Man
However, supporters of Trump deny that fascism is a word that can be attributed to the former president. One person accused President Biden instead, writing: “Look up the definition of fascism! Joe going after free speech, parents, religion and his political opponents! Lockdowns, mandates and telling the media what they can and can’t report is fascism!”
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