NEW YORK, Nov 1, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - Donald Trump has been labeled a fascist
by his White House rival Kamala Harris and by his former chief of staff, John
Kelly.

AFP spoke about the allegations -- which Trump has strongly refuted -- to
Federico Finchelstein, a historian at the New School for Social Research in
New York who specializes in extremism and transatlantic fascism.

- How does Trump rate in terms of extremism? -

"He's an extreme version of populism that is getting closer to fascism,"
Finchelstein told AFP, defining four key elements of fascism as political
violence, propaganda and misinformation, xenophobia and dictatorship.

These features may be present in populism but are much more pronounced in
fascism, according to his thesis, with Adolf Hitler the most extreme case.

"History doesn't repeat itself, but this is already a red flag that we are
even considering the question.

"There is a risk here that Trump will become as authoritarian as he would
like to be."

- Why do many Americans support him? -

"There are a lot of people in the United States who are not satisfied with
the economy or with the changes that this country is undergoing. And
sometimes a combination of grievances leads them to choose an authoritarian.

"They are not considering that Trump is proposing magical solutions to real
problems and that there is a problem here with a leader that represents that
his will is more important than reality itself."

- Are his supporters extremist? -

Finchelstein sees some "dog whistles" to hardcore followers, but says the
bigger problem may be mainstream voters who have become inured to Trump's
far-right rhetoric.

"What is really the trouble here is not the extremism but rather how this
extremism is normalized in society, often in the media but last but not least
in the voters. This used to be toxic politics and suddenly it's not.

"We are talking about a candidate that promises mass deportations under the
framework of what he thinks of as problems related to risk and genetics. This
is really extreme."

- What would a Trump victory mean? -

"What we have is a wannabe fascist leader. But the question remains, to what
extent he will be able to do all the things that he would like to do?"

Finchelstein noted that a Brazilian court barred Jair Bolsonaro from office
after he alleged fraud in his losing 2022 presidential campaign. Trump has
not suffered that fate after January 6.

"The work of justice was either not working or it was too late. How could it
be that someone with so many legal problems could be a candidate?

"The January 6 riot technically speaking was an (attempted) coup d'etat. And
one wonders how often it was presented as such."