Yes, it’s fascism →
source: liberalcurrents.comKevin J. Elliott, writing for Liberal Currents:
The place to look for fascism is in the politics and program of a political movement; it’s about how they talk and what they aim to do rather than in the structure of power. Of course, they want the authoritarian structure of executive-focused unchecked power and seek to build it where it’s lacking. But this is in service of the core fascist mission: a cultural rebirth in which the nation, understood as its (racially) pure or ‘true’ people, is saved from destruction and its enemies are purged from within.
Thus, all forms of fascism are authoritarian, but not all authoritarianisms are fascist. Authoritarianism encompasses many non-fascist regimes. Recognizing the fascism of Trump II requires disaggregating these two projects.
The authoritarian agenda of the Trump regime is apparent in the unilateral abolition of federal agencies, illegal firings, the targeting of internal checks such as inspectors general and anti-corruption offices, intimidation of judges, general executive aggrandizement and unilateralism seen in the flood of Executive Orders, violation of court orders in spirit or substance, and, above all, the seizure of the power of the purse in impoundment.
The fascist agenda of the Trump regime is found in its multi-front war on civil society—stretching from extortionate civil cases, official investigations, and sanctions imposed against the media, to the intimidation of powerful law firms, to stripping funding from civil society groups and universities, to targeting universities for alleged civil rights violations—its lawless deportation actions, and its total war on diversity and affirmative action initiatives not just in the federal government but among every federal contractor and grantee or grant applicant across American society. Jamelle Bouie identifies this latter part of the agenda as a concerted effort to impose resegregation, revealing the unique Americanness of this Trumpian variant of fascism.
This piece does a great job of breaking down the many facets to Trump’s attempt at destroying democratic norms. A must read.