By Brigitte L. Nacos
Before and after his federal indictment last week, former president Donald J. Trump used the terms socialist, communist, and fascist interchangeably, when attacking his domestic enemies whom he described as greater threat to the United States than outside enemies. In his attack speeches in Georgia and North Caroline last weekend, he depicted the fight against the Left as a final, existential battle for America. Never mind that he is an admirer of the Communist strongman Vladimir Putin. Speaking of his domestic enemies, supposedly Democrats, Liberals, and the so-called Deep State he said, “Either the Communists win and destroy America, or we destroy the Communists.” GOP officials and the MAGA crowd responded with enthusiastic “U.S.A.! U.S.A! U.S.A.” screams.
His loyal supporters did not need his cues at public appearances. In response to the news of his indictment that his former Attorney General William Barr called “very damning,” they joined and repeated his immediate combative statement on his Truth Social platform. “We have now reached a war phase. Eye for an eye,” Congressman Andy Biggs of Arizona tweeted.
The war metaphor was repeated in many variations on many social media platforms and in public statements in the days before Trump’s arraignment in Miami.
Speaking to a GOP crowd in Georgia the 2020 election denier Kari Lake issued an outright threat. “If you want to get to President Trump, you are going to have go through me, and you are going to have to go through 75 million Americans just like me,” she said, “And I’m going to tell you, most of us are card-carrying members of the N.R.A.”
Was that an invitation to resort to handguns in order to fight for the twice impeached and twice criminally indicted leader who may have more indictments coming to him? Her words were posted on several social media platforms and favorably commented on.
While the law enforcement communities prepared to keep the area in and around the Miami court building safe, rank and file Trump supporters were tireless in expressing their absolute loyalty and devotion to their leader. They asked God to protect and help the “best president the country ever had,” posted Trump with a protective Jesus figure, and asked others to pray for him. As a caravan of Trump supporters drove on Sunday from Miami to Palm Beach, one woman posted on his social media platform, “There’s no better way to spend a Sunday than for God, President Trump, your Country, and Family.”
Some expressed their disgust with the pure reliance on combative words without matching deeds and their own readiness to change this. There were many posters who seemed to think of January 6, 2021 and the many violent protesters ending up in prison. They told their brethren to wear masks when protesting in Miami or elsewhere for Trump in order hide their identities.
The admiration of and devotion to Trump among MAGA/GOP followers seems absolute. The latest public opinion shows that about 4 of 5 Republicans continue to support their leader after last week’s indictment. Many social media posts I read lately reject and often condemn Trump’s challengers in the battle for the GOP’s 2024 presidential nomination. That is particularly true for Ron DeSantis who, like Trump, promises to destroy “leftism” and “woke ideology.” Hardcore Trump supporters consider him a threat to Trumpism just like Democrats.
Trump is the rare leader who is in control of both a political movement and a political party. While social movements tend to attack elites inside and outside of governments, political parties are important parts of governments. With Trump’s complete grip on both, his MAGA movement and the Republican Party, his power over followers in both entities is greater than that of mere movement or mere party leaders.
That’s why there is little doubt that Trump will be the GOP nominee next year.
The Republican Party has become an appendix of the Trumpian MAGA movement after being earlier pushed towards the Far-Right by Tea Party hardliners.
Trump’s recent apocalyptic messages that call for the final battle between the righteous “us” against the evil “them” transcends the nature of legitimate political movements and moves the MAGA movement and the GOP and their leader further into fascist territory. January 6, 2021 may have been merely the beginning.
As Madeleine Albright wrote in her book on fascism, “What makes a movement Fascist is not ideology but the willingness to do whatever is necessary—including the use of force and trampling the rights of others—to achieve victory and command obedience.”
Comments