Politics

American Fascism is Unfolding Before Our Very Eyes — It’s Time to Wake Up

America is going down the road of fascism. Here’s how you can tell.

Photo by Jose Moreno on Unsplash

It was a brisk evening in late October 2020, and the US President at the time, Donald Trump, was driving in his motorcade. You might remember, Trump at the time was battling the coronavirus in the months leading up to the 2020 election.

He was just then finally starting to make his rounds, showing his face in public, and doing what strongman leaders love to do —rallying his most ardent supporters.

For strongmen and fascists alike, a lot of politics is about image. It’s about the image because it’s about identity. From Hitler Youth to the admittedly dapper overcoats and fine 1930s garb of the German S.S., from trucks and hats and entire costumes decked out in MAGA getup, movements that embrace certain nefarious types of ideologies throughout history have tended to protect their image at all cost.

And in late October of 2020, Trump couldn’t be seen as weak after being hospitalized with COVID-19. Even though his infection was so severe, medical workers thought he was going to have to be intubated on a ventilator.