Vice President Kamala Harris called former President Donald Trump a fascist during a CNN town hall last month. Immediately, alarm bells went off in my head. Following contemporary politics has conditioned me to shut down political arguments in which name calling is used as a means to divide and label opposing candidates as dangerous or un-American. While Trump may not be a fascist, he has clear fascist tendencies and his threat to democracy must be made clear. Still, given the ideological right’s mobilization against Harris’ words, her claim will likely fall on deaf ears as Americans head to the polls in a closely contested election. Voters must recognize the threat that Trump poses to democracy, and lawmakers must work diligently to uphold our systems of checks and balances if Trump wins the election. To achieve this, American politics must move away from name-calling to ensure that actual threats to democracy are taken seriously.
The use of the word “fascist” and general name-calling in politics have reached unsustainable levels in recent elections. A recent Newsweek poll found that 87% of Democrats consider Trump a fascist and 41% of Republicans consider Harris a fascist. Fascism is a political philosophy characterized by authoritarian and ultranationalist ideology and that is typically associated with the far right. This definition is at odds with Trump’s claims that Harris is a communist and “radical left lunatic,” as well as from his assertion that Democrats hate America. The assertion that Harris is a fascist is misinformed and nonsensical.
While definitions of fascism have changed over time, it is likely too extreme a label for Trump. While he may have fascist tendencies in his rhetoric, Trump is far from the likes of Adolf Hitler or Benito Mussolini, two of the most famous fascist political leaders in history. This contrast does not mean, however, that Trump does not pose a threat to American democracy. Trump has shown authoritarian tendencies in the past. During his presidency, he fired multiple officials who questioned him, a practice he has promised to continue through his threats to fire special counsel Jack Smith. The former president has threatened to use the U.S. Department of Justice to prosecute his political opponents, including U.S. President Joe Biden. Additionally, Trump’s role in the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol highlights his disregard for rule of law and democracy, exemplified by his 2022 call for “terminating” parts of the U.S. Constitution. Trump’s “America First” ideology and pledge to carry out the largest deportation in U.S. history substantiate his self-proclaimed nationalism. This evidence shows that while not necessarily inhabiting everything that he does, Trump has both authoritarian tendencies and nationalist ideology. Many high-ranking former staffers have accused Trump of harboring these fascist tendencies, including Trump’s former Chief of Staff John Kelly.
However, it is not surprising that Trump stands a real chance to win despite his threat to our democratic institutions. The growth of name-calling and identity politics in the United States have made calling out Trump’s fascist tendencies akin to “The Boy Who Cried Wolf,” a cautionary tale about telling lies. Republicans routinely label liberal candidates as communists and socialists, and Trump has long relied on insulting his political opponents as a campaign strategy. In the 2024 presidential campaign, Democrats have increasingly relied on name-calling, and the party has a history of labeling opposing party presidents as fascists. In light of our contemporary political environment, voters are conditioned to tune the name-calling out.
This creates a significant problem when there is some truth beneath the rhetoric. Republican lawmakers were quick to defend Trump by criticizing Harris’ comments as contributing to political animus. This shows that the normalization of name-calling allows semi-true warnings, like that by Harris, to be labeled as normal political rhetoric. While I may disagree with Harris in saying that Trump is a full-blown fascist, we both agree on his fascist tendencies and the threat they pose to democracy. However, in the same way that the shepherd boy who cried wolf is not taken seriously, even when there is an actual wolf, Harris will not be taken seriously despite Trump’s threat to democracy.
Voters must recognize the grave threat that Trump poses to democracy and reject his candidacy at the ballot box on Nov. 5. However, with a fiercely divided electorate, it is possible that Trump will win the 2024 presidential election. In this case, lawmakers must courageously prevent Trump’s fascist tendencies from manifesting in a dangerous way. During Trump’s administration, former Secretary of Defense Mark Esper prevented Trump from deploying troops against protesters, and former Vice President Mike Pence halted Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election. Cabinet officials, Congress and the Supreme Court must make similar efforts to preserve American democracy in the face of Trump’s undemocratic rule.
The truth is that most Americans are more similar than different. While politicians and bad political actors seek to create division, most Americans believe in democracy, capitalism and the provision of most of the rights the Constitution affords. There are some issues on which voters across the aisle overwhelmingly agree, such as the availability of economic opportunity and the value of many government-run social programs. Relying on rhetoric and name-calling contributes to the futile political division in our country and prevents Americans from coming together to categorically reject threats to the fundamental values on which we agree. Our division and the proliferation of name-calling place threats to our democracy and the Constitution within striking distance of the White House. Voters must band together to stop Trump and refuse to support politicians who rely on undemocratic rhetoric in their campaigns. The vast majority of Americans, 72%, believe that America is one of the greatest countries in the world. Rejecting Trump’s attempt to serve a second term and committing to return to civility in politics are necessary for this statement to continue to be true.
Contact Pierce McDade (25Ox) at pierce.mcdade@emory.edu.
