“She’s a Marxist, Communist, Fascist, Socialist…she’s not actually a Socialist, she’s gone past that.”
~ Donald Trump speaking about Kamala Harris at a September 12, 2024 rally in Tucson, Arizona.

Words matter and history happened…unless you’re the President of the United States. A hallmark of both the Trump 1.0 and 2.0 administrations is a willingness to say just about anything as long as it energizes the MAGA base. What’s far more shocking than this administration’s willingness to say anything is the widespread acceptance that words now mean only what Trump decides they mean, and of course that there is no standard of truth anymore in the GOP.

The Washington Post fact-checking team counted 30,573 lies and misleading claims during Trump’s first tenure, and he publicly uttered 20 lies on day one of his second term. But this bastardization of language and truth cannot happen in a vacuum. It must be supported by a vast network of sycophants and media that are either so afraid of losing their station, or have effectively lost all moral and ethical direction in the echo chamber in which authoritarianism flourishes. This type of rapid slide from long-held democratic norms also requires a major portion of the population to be politically uninformed — almost a celebration of ignorance. Understanding language and arguing for some semblance of truth remains a vitally important bulwark against fascistic political movements, so let’s take a look at the language Trump and his cabinet like to shoehorn together to keep a population on edge and afraid. These definitions and descriptions are of course greatly abbreviated but if you choose to do a deep dive on any one or all of these political theories you have a couple million titles to choose from.

Marxism: Marxism is a social, political, and economic theory developed first by Karl Marx in the mid-19^th century and later refined by Friedrich Engels. It highlights a primary conflict between the ruling class (bourgeoisie) and the working class (proletariat). Marxism asserts that capitalism will only lead to the exploitation of the proletariat by the bourgeoisie, is destined to result in an ever-widening economic divide, and as such will be the bringer of an incredible suite of social injustice.  Marxism also argues that capitalism inevitably leads to its own downfall as the proletariat becomes more acutely aware of the exploitation required to prop up capital. According to Marxist theory, the inevitable end stage of capitalism is revolution. Marxist beliefs advocate for a society where means of production are collectively owned while wealth and power are distributed equally among the population.

Socialism: Socialism promotes public ownership of major industries while allowing for some degree of private ownership. In a socialist economy the government will control industries deemed essential to the “public good,” like healthcare, education, energy, and transportation. Private businesses can operate with regulation under socialist societies and tend to function with a democratic framework. Many modern countries, like Denmark and Sweden, fancy themselves as socialist societies and have successfully built thriving mixed economies while registering some of the highest “happiness quotients” on the planet. Whether the powers that be choose to admit this is true or not, many tenets of socialism have been woven into most “democratically” run nations, including the United States.

Communism: Communism is a political and economic system that grows out of Marxist theory. Although often used interchangeably, there are some important distinctions. Communism, according to Marx, is the final stage of societal development where there is no hierarchy, no private property, and the means of production are wholly owned by the people. In theory, communism is stateless, classless, and moneyless, and the people living within that system contribute based on their abilities while receiving based on their needs.

Authoritarianism: Authoritarianism is a broad term that refers to any political system in which power is concentrated in the hands of a single ruler or a small group, with minimal checks and balances. Authoritarian regimes suppress political opposition, restrict civil liberties, and often rely on coercion to maintain control. Authoritarian governments can take many forms, including military juntas, monarchies, or single-party states, and they may or may not have a unifying ideology beyond maintaining power and order. Some authoritarian leaders, like those in absolute monarchies or communist dictatorships, focus on stability and governance rather than promoting radical nationalism or expansionist policies.

Fascism: Fascism is an extreme right-wing, authoritarian political ideology characterized by dictatorial power, rabid nationalism, suppression of dissent, and general control of nearly all aspects of society and economy. Fascism rejects democratic governance and liberalism as weak and inefficient, instead arguing that centralized leadership and total control is required for order and national strength.

“The fundamental weakness of Western civilization is empathy.” – Elon Musk on Joe Rogan Experience 2/28/25

Militarism, and the total acquiescence to single ruler who believes he or she is the “embodiment” of the people are characteristics of a fascist state. Fascism does of course allow for private property, but that property is often at the whim and will of the state, depending on the state’s or Great Leader’s desires. The two most well-known examples of fascist states were Mussolini’s Italy and Hitler’s Germany. The fall of these regimes did not signal the end of fascistic thought; the desire to be ruled with an authoritarian fist continues to simmer where and when opportunity arises. Historically, we’ve seen the rise of fascistic thought where economies and infrastructures have failed. It now also appears that late-stage capitalism is an incubator for this type of rule. Fascistic thought tends towards spaces where people are very afraid and/or insecure.

Throughout the last century, each of these political and economic theories (including capitalism) have given rise to some of the ugliest regimes and most nightmarish living conditions imaginable. The United States gained global economic supremacy largely based on the genocide of native peoples across the continent, as well as the grotesque practice of chattel slavery that existed from 1619-1865. It would appear that just about any economic theory can be adapted for oppression when given to weak and immoral leaders. Historic examples include the Communist Party of Kampuchea or Khmer Rouge in Cambodia, of course the Nazi Party in Germany, and the mass starvation that occurred under Mao’s China – these are a few of the most galling examples.

The dumbing-down of political discourse and intentional sowing of fear have, and continue to be, foundational to the rise of authoritarian rule around the world and within the United States. Authoritarians need a foil — an enemy that is somehow scarier than them. The GOP has done a very effective job creating this image of danger from all who openly oppose the administration, by labeling them as radical lunatics, terrorists, or anti-Semites. Perhaps this concocted danger is aimed the hardest at the grassroots movements of people who gather under the banner of fighting fascism.

Anti-fascist movements entered the cultural zeitgeist simultaneously with the birth of fascism. The celebrated and long-forgotten stories of brave anti-fascist resistance movements paint a striking counter-narrative to the brutality of authoritarianism. After Mussolini’s Fascist Party gained power in 1922, opposition began immediately. Anarchists, socialists, communists, and trade-unionists banded together and formed groups like the Arditi del Popolo (The People’s Daring Ones) to resist the unmitigated brutality meted out by Mussolini and the para-military Blackshirts that did his bidding. The rise of anti-fascist groups in Germany likewise mirrored the rise of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party, and, like the fate of so many in Italy, those resisters were met with extreme brutality, imprisonment, and executions when caught. In the midst of WW2, the French Resistance, Italian and Yugoslav Partisans, and a host of other grassroots organizations, were instrumental in the sabotage of axis war making capabilities that played a decisive role in the victory of the Allies over Axis. Later in the 20^th century, anti-fascist groups provided most if not all of the organized resistance to the U.S.-supported authoritarian regimes that gained a foothold in Central and South America. Most people in these groups faced extra-judicial killings and the widespread practice of “disappearing” activists — something we’ve recently been witnessing again in the U.S. Taking activists off the “field of play” does not start overnight, but ramps up over time once the population has become accustomed to people being snatched off the streets and sent hundreds or thousands of miles away for detention.

Trump and his media propaganda continue to disseminate his misinformation and lies, and attempt to label anti-fascist organizations in the United States as “domestic terrorists.” Protestors in the streets become “radical leftist thugs” — the rhetoric goes on and on. Those who stand up against Christian Nationalism, or stand with the queer community, or ally themselves with historically disenfranchised communities become maligned as anti-American bad actors under this regime.

The slide into a fascist nation usually does not happen in a sudden and violent upthrust of a political party, but instead through the chipping away of cultural norms while the opposition slowly capitulates to the re-writing of history. We are no longer “sliding towards” authoritarianism in the United States — we have arrived. Trump is already priming the pump for a third term while half the United States and countries around the globe look on in deafening silent disbelief. Successful resistance against the creep of authoritarianism has always, and will continue to be born from grassroots movements.

As James Baldwin wrote to Angela Davis when she was in jail in 1970, “if they take you in the morning, they will be coming for us that night.”

We cannot wait a minute longer, we cannot stand idle and be complicit, we need to stand together and be brave.