Trump May Not Be A Fascist Does It
There is some confusion about the correct terminology to describe Donald Trump. Is he a fascist? An aspiring dictator? A populist authoritarian? And what about those around Trump–-are they even worse?
A good place to start is to focus on which foreign leaders Trump seems to favor, and why. Many have noticed his admiration for Vladimir Putin and his desire to be on good terms with Russia’s president-for-life. What Trump appears to like is Putin’s success at concentrating power in his own hands, and using it unabashedly to punish enemies and reward friends. He has called Putin ‘smart’ and clearly enjoys their personal relationship.
Victor Orban of Hungary is also a favorite of Trump and the MAGA movement. He recently visited the White House, where Trump exempted him from sanctions for importing Russian oil, and called Orban his ‘double’. Orban is a model for how to maintain a façade of democracy while weakening any opposition; Orban has directed wealth to his supporters while manipulating elections to hold onto power. Hungary is now considered a ‘partial democracy’ or ‘illiberal democracy’.
Israel’s Benyamin Netanyahu is another leader Trump admires. Netanyahu is a political survivor, skilled at holding onto office in the face of changing political winds and charges of corruption. Like Trump, one of Netanyahu’s main motivations is to stay in office in order to avoid prosecution. Over many years in and out of power, Netanyahu has presided over what seems to be a permanent shift of Israeli politics sharply to the right, something Trump probably wants to emulate. Trump recently called on Israel’s President to ‘pardon’ Netanyahu, something that is not in accord with Israeli law.
These are just some of the many dictators and elected strongmen praised by Trump. What these figures have in common is their efforts to take countries that were functioning democracies, or moving in that direction, and reverse course. They have weakened checks on executive power and often circumvented or violated the law. They have enriched themselves, their families, and their friends. And they have exhibited ‘toughness,’ a trait Trump deeply admires.
Trump is often called a ‘fascist’— his former chief of staff John Kelly says he has fascistic tendencies—but I don’t think this accurately captures his goals or style of leadership. Fascism is generally understood to include extreme nationalism; strong racial prejudices and belief in racial hierarchy; praise of masculinity, understood as strength and readiness to use violence; mobilization of society around a national project, usually involving territorial expansion; and contempt for liberal democracy and preference for a ‘supreme leader’ who acts decisively and embodies the nation. While Trump certainly leans in these directions, he lacks any discernible commitment to any one ideology or major national project. Rather, Trump is an opportunistic political shape-shifter, not a committed believer.
What Trump seeks is more accurately described as a ‘patrimonial’ system, where one person is the boss or strongman. (See “Patrimonialism” an excellent Substack piece by my Steady State colleague Bill Piekney.) The boss can do as he pleases with little or no constraint from laws or other institutions. He can favor his friends and punish his enemies: everything revolves around him. Policy positions are a combination of whims—tariffs, remodeling the White House, pardoning George Santos—and what will gain popular or elite support, not conviction.
Trump’s idea of the Presidency seems to combine the features of a Mafia Don and big-city machine mayor. Trump was close to several mafia figures during his time as a New York real estate developer, especially when running his Atlantic City casinos, and more than once boasted about his connections. Trump’s mentor, Roy Cohn, was a flamboyant NYC lawyer who represented a number of top organized crime figures.
Trump grew up during the heyday of the big city machines, watching larger-than-life figures like Chicago’s Mayor Daley and Tammany Hall’s Carmine de Sapio. He spent his business career in New York City real estate, where he saw how city bosses used a combination of man-of-the-people public persona and behind-the-scenes toughness to win elections and get rich. Organized crime played in the shadows, often hand in hand with elected officials.
Being rich and using your money to gain power is at the center of Trump’s self-image. Amassing wealth is a sign that you’re smart and worthy to rule. Some commentators point to Italy’s Silvio Berlusconi as Trump’s real precursor, a populist billionaire media tycoon who dominated Italian politics for decades. Berlusconi built up a right-wing party and had a flair for publicity, accompanied by numerous corruption scandals and criminal convictions.
Not only is calling Trump a ‘fascist’ inaccurate, it is also counterproductive. ‘Fascist’ is a highly loaded term that Trump and his followers can easily characterize as exaggerated.
However, even if Trump and his minions are not fascists, it is undeniable that in his second term, Trump is surrounded by fascist-adjacent enablers. MAGA stalwarts such as Steve Bannon, Russell Vought, and Stephen Miller are prime examples, with JD Vance often an ally. They see Trump as the vehicle for turning the United States into a Christian nationalist state, and are intent on using government power to sideline Congress and force or bribe key institutions—the press, higher education, Silicon Valley—to acquiesce in regime change. They openly see opponents as illegitimate and want to manipulate elections to guarantee indefinite rule by one party. As Trump himself ages and declines, we will want to keep our eye on these figures behind the throne.
Adam Wasserman is a retired CIA analyst with experience on failing democracies in the former Soviet Union, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia. He served on the State Department Policy Planning Staff, the CIA Red Cell, and the National Security Council staff. He is a member of The Steady State. All statements of fact, opinion, or analysis expressed are those of the author and do not reflect the official positions or views of the US Government. Nothing in the contents should be construed as asserting or implying US Government authentication of information or endorsement of the author’s views.
Founded in 2016, The Steady State is a nonprofit 501(c)(4) organization of more than 360 former senior national security professionals. Our membership includes former officials from the CIA, FBI, Department of State, Department of Defense and Department of Homeland Security. Drawing on deep expertise across national security disciplines including intelligence, diplomacy, military affairs and law, we advocate for constitutional democracy, the rule of law and the preservation of America’s national security institutions.