Search political content on “X”, Facebook, Instagram, or any other site, and words like “communist”, “socialist”, “populist”, “authoritarian”, and “fascist” are used to describe political opponents and political ideas.
People all across the political spectrum use these words to label opponents and stir up emotions, all in an attempt to stir emotions, build support to their agenda, and demonize the opposition.
What is interesting is that often times, these words are used in a way that reflects little or no understanding of what the words actually mean.
This random use of words as labels often distorts political reality and inaccurately defines the parameters of the current political debate.
Words have meaning and it is important that they are used in a way that accurately reflects that meaning. They must be used in the proper context and not bandied about like so much verbal confetti.
Two words that seem to be used interchangeably when discussing former president Donald Trump and MAGA Republicanism are “authoritarianism (authoritarian)” and “fascism (fascist).” These two words are often used by “liberals” and “progressives” (not the same thing) to define and frame their criticism of Trump and the MAGA Republican Party (Trump and MAGA use “socialist” and “communist” in the same way. They are not the same thing, either.)
It is very important that critics of Trump and MAGA Republicanism understand what these words actually mean and how they should be accurately used within the context of our current political situation.
First, very brief definitions of authoritarianism and fascism:
Authoritarianism
Authoritarianism is a political system that centralizes and consolidates political power and control while working to severely limit political and, I would argue, cultural pluralism and challenges to authority. In an authoritarian system, political power is often consolidated in a single leader or group that exerts considerable, but not necessarily total control over political institutions (elections, press, governing institutions, etc.) while working to “limit” political opposition (there are varying levels and intensities of authoritarianism). Authoritarianism and authoritarian leaders can exist across the political spectrum (left, right, or center) and are not necessarily motivated by a specific or extremist ideology, but rather on the exercising of political power for the sake of executing that power in and of itself.
Fascism
Fascism, on the other hand, is an ideology of the far right and is characterized by dictatorial control, extreme nationalism, a sense of racial or ethnic superiority, and the complete “suppression” or “elimination” of political opposition. Fascism is totalitarian in its approach to exercising authority and in governing, taking severe measures to restrict or eliminate personal freedom, exert conformity, and control all aspects of public and private life.
See what I mean?
Yes, there are some commonalities between authoritarianism and fascism. The lines between the two can become blurred.
That said, it is important to understand that authoritarianism seeks to “limit” and “control”. Fascism, on the other hand, seeks to “suppress” (often violently) and “eliminate” (again, often violently). Authoritarianism is a methodology and can be nonideological. Fascism is a far right extremist ideology, imposed by authoritarian means (totalitarianism can be considered intensely extreme authoritarianism).
So, are Trump and MAGA Republicans authoritarians or are they fascists?
That’s an interesting question and and given the definitions outlined above, the answer to that question is complicated as again, the lines between the two can and do become blurred.
Most certainly, Trump and MAGA Republicans are authoritarians. Trump and the MAGA Republicans have made it very clear what political life will be like if Trump wins re-election and MAGA Republicans regain control of the House and Senate in 2024. MAGA Republican thinkers, through the Heritage Foundation Project 2025, have made it very clear that they seek to gain control of the federal government and bureaucracy by replacing career civil servants and experts with Trump loyalists who will do his and the MAGA Republican bidding.
At the state level, MAGA Republicans are firmly entrenched in statewide elective offices (importantly as secretaries of state and attorneys general) and in veto proof legislative supermajorities in 20 states.
Take them seriously when they say they are going to use government to impose their political agenda. Trump says time and time again that he is his supporters “retribution.” They are clearly authoritarians.
But are they fascists?
That is a harder question to answer.
In recent weeks, Trump has walked up to the line of fascism in some of his speeches and social media posts. Among other things, he has talked about eliminating the “vermin” he claims are destroying the country. He talks about putting people in camps. He talks about using the power of government to remove a news network from the “airwaves” (actually cable) and to control the press as a whole.. He has alluded to the “blood and soil” of our nation being contaminated by certain groups of people (communists, socialists, immigrants). He proclaims adoration for totalitarian dictators like President Xi of China, Korean dictator Kim Jung Un, and, of course, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin. He uses social media and political speeches to undermine the justice system and to influence and intimidate potential jurors and witnesses in his future state and federal criminal trials.
But does that make him, and by extension, MAGA Republicans, fascists?
I think that is a tougher argument to make.
There are still significant safeguards that deter the development of fascism in this country. We still have free and fair elections and, despite the best efforts of Trump and MAGA Republicans, the peaceful transfer of power. The military, despite recent efforts to politicize it, still swears an oath to the Constitution of the United States and not to a particular leader. The rule of law is still holds. Our political and cultural institutions (legislatures, courts, churches, schools, etc.), while dysfunctional at times, still hold.
MAGA has no clear ideology other than making America great again, whatever that means. There are no other strong, up and coming MAGA Republican leaders who can exert the same influence and control over MAGA that Trump exerts (there are some pretenders). Trump is MAGA Republicanism and MAGA Republicanism is Trump. There is nothing else.
MAGA Republicanism is not an ideology. Rather, it is built upon a foundation of grievance, victimhood, racism, whataboutism, nativism, retribution, and owning the other side just to own the other side. They have no plan other that seeking power for power’s sake and creating political chaos and blowing things up rather than actually governing. They investigate opponents just for the sake of investigating their opponents. They engage in performative politics in order to solicit Trump’s approval, get Fox News and Newsmax appearances, social media engagement, and for fund raising. They even bought into the Big Lie about the 2020 election and the January 6th insurrection.
There is no plan or party platform; whatever Trump wants, that is the MAGA Republican platform.
That may make them political loons and authoritarians, but does that make them fascists?
Not yet, but that doesn’t mean we couldn’t get there,
The MAGA Republican movement isn’t going anywhere. It is heavily influenced by the tenets of christo-nationalism and there are signs that christo-nationalism could evolve into a specific political, cultural, and policy ideology and agenda. This is already happening, to varying degrees, at the state and local level in MAGA Republican states ( see my last Politics From the Heartland piece “Democrats Need to Wake Up” of 15 November). Many MAGA Republican statewide office holders and legislators are heavily engaged in the national MAGA “infotainment” universe and on social media.
As things evolve, this is where the MAGA Republican fascist threat could come from. It will take time, but the threat could be real and the country must be on guard.
State and local politics isn’t as sexy as the D.C. political universe, but as the late Speaker of the House Tim O’Neill once said, “all politics is local” and states have always been the laboratory of democracy. Authoritarianism is already entrenched in many states. Could this mean a future of states being the laboratory for fascism?
Still, after all that is said and done, the question still remains; what happens to MAGA Republicanism when Trump is gone and there is no strong leader and ideology to drive the movement?
The future might be glimpsed at the state and local level.
Words Have Implications
When engaging in political discourse, it is important to call a spade a spade and speak the truth. Don’t pervert our politics by using words in a manner that isn’t accurate, used in an improper context, or used to drive emotion that distorts facts and reality. This goes for both sides.
Words are powerful weapons and we must apply terms carefully.
Understand what you are talking about before talking about it.