“You either need to call it fascism or you need to invent a new word with more or less the same meaning.” — Jonathan Rauch
Jonathan Rauch’s viral Atlantic essay, “Yes, It’s Fascism”, has reignited the debate over the F word. Having previously settled on “semi-fascist,” Rauch now argues that Trump ticks all 18 boxes on his fascism checklist — from the glorification of violence and imperial ambition to Carl Schmitt’s zero-sum political philosophy. But I’m not totally convinced. Three of the core pillars of interwar fascism - the collective trauma of the First World War, the youthfulness of fascist leaders and the centrality of mass rallies - are all missing. So what are the best words to describe Trump? Rauch’s notion of a distinctively American version of reactionary authoritarianism is obviously correct. And he’s also right to argue that we don’t have the right words to describe the farce currently showing in America.
