A few months ago, I wrote an article entitled ‘What Comes Next.’ In it, I stressed the need to consider the consequences of allowing Trump, his administration, and the Conservative movement to continue the dismantling of our democracy, deeming it a ‘defining moment.’ Each new article released seems to be just another step towards a deeply troubling future eerily reminiscent of the past. At the end of the day, we must judge our nation as it is, and ask the ultimate question - is the onus still on us, the People, to determine our collective future, or have we already ceded that responsibility?
Time is running out to take a stand. This is what comes next, should we fail to do so.
It’s All Psychology
I have often used history as a barometer for what is currently transpiring in the United States, and that is purely because history belies a simple truth - the actions of a society are a result of the underlying psychology.
Whether we choose to accept it or not, human beings are still animals by nature, subject to the same impulses and instinctual urges as our fellow fauna. This can be seen in many areas of life, especially in that of politics. This is why we have seen countless examples of fascist and far-right regimes in the past and present that align so closely on their tactics, resurgence, and beliefs. There can be no doubt now that the United States has approached the precipice of dictatorship more closely than at any time in its relatively short history. With unfettered access to information, it may have been easy for us to fool ourselves into believing that it could never happen again, that we know too much to allow it to evolve into something so sinister and beyond our control. Yet, here we are.
Fascist regimes begin with a simple idea that is used to gain purchase over the psychology of its target audience. In Nazi Germany, it was the idea that a small group of Jewish elites were responsible for the humiliation and destruction of the German economy and its people following the disastrous outcome of World War I. Through the use of unparalleled and unprecedented propaganda campaigns on mediums such as newspaper, radio, and television, the Nazi’s were effective in conveying this message, and their chosen symbol, the blood-red ‘swastika,’ became the infamous mark of human suffering in the 20th century. They rallied behind a charismatic speaker, Adolf Hitler, who, despite his lack of experience and questionable leadership abilities, became the mouthpiece of the vitriol spread by the Nazi Party due to his talent for connecting with the so-called ‘common man.’ In just over a decade, and despite numerous failures and missteps, Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party went on to wage a brutal genocide against millions of innocent people, and propelled the world into another global, bloody conflict that altered the course of history.
Now, just a few generations removed from World War II, it seems that the United States is mirroring the path chosen by former fascist regimes, especially that of Nazi Germany. The Trump administration has employed key tools favored by the Third Reich, including peddling slogans like ‘Make America Great Again’ emblazoned on blood-red baseball caps, instilling an internalized and raging hatred of immigrants and ‘others,’ unleashing a relentless barrage of disinformation, and sowing violence and chaos in the streets to devastating effect. Each day, we see more signs of the pending disasters should this be allowed to continue.
Another familiar element of a fascist regime is the use of martyrs as political tools, and the Trump administration and their MAGA faithful have certainly found one in Charlie Kirk. His memorial service, which drew attendance in the hundreds of thousands and included some of the biggest names in conservative politics, was a clear opportunity for the Right to push the boundaries even further, and declare war on the Left, which essentially amounts to anyone who does not subscribe unilaterally to their radical belief system. The President openly jeered and threatened his fellow Americans, whom he has come to hold as his enemies, noting that he ‘hates his opponents.’ Stephen Miller gave a harrowing and hate-filled speech that was darkly reminiscent of Joseph Goebbel’s rhetoric, including referring to the Conservative movement as ‘the storm,’ and the martyrization of Charlie Kirk in a similar fashion to the Nazi movement’s equivalent, Horst Wessel. As expected, Republican lawmakers have rushed to enshrine the legacy of Charlie Kirk as a heroic and tragic symbol of their righteousness, proposing installing memorial statues on college campuses, and even minting a coin in his image.
The Trump administration and its corporate backers wasted no time in punishing their adversaries, and have made new strides towards eradicating ‘free speech’ with the cancellation of Late Night Show hosts, Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert. The President has successfully weaponized American companies, like ABC and Disney, to reprimand his personal enemies for the world to see. He showed his supporters that he is willing to rip the Constitution to shreds, so long as it means his own victory over the ‘Radical Left.’ He routinely vilifies those outside of his administration, using childish-yet-intentional name-calling to rabble-rouse and cultivate bloodthirstiness in his base. Now, with the recent passing of the Big Beautiful Bill, Trump and his cronies have successfully transformed the Department of Homeland Security into a fighting force resembling the Nazi Schutzstaffel (often referred to as the ‘SS’), violently kidnapping suspected illegal immigrants on the streets, in schools, inside of courthouses, inside homes, and even in factories. The world has watched on as masked individuals who claim to be ‘law enforcement’ have waged terror upon innocent civilians, all while denying the critical right of due process, a signal that the law is no hurdle for this regime. Beyond the blatant abuse of human and civil rights, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, has spread fear and paranoia across the nation, and shattered trust among neighbors.
When considering economic policy through the lens of a fascist regime, we can begin to see the true purpose behind it - the weakening of the lower class in America, which can now be categorized as the 99% below the nation’s wealthiest elite. Tariffs and trade wars have already cost millions their jobs, and sparked higher inflation and unemployment. Anti-immigration policies surrounding H1B and student visas have pushed out some of the world’s brightest minds in search of safe harbor. Tourism has seen steady decline as visitors see the dangers of traveling to the United States multiplying on a daily basis.
On a global scale, Trump and his administration have antagonized allies and strained relations, taking aim at institutions like the United Nations, scrapping participation in worldwide collaborations like the Paris Climate Accord, and openly mocking foreign nations by saying that they are “going to Hell.” It is clear that a population with little to no control over their financial lives is much easier to rule than an independent populous, and it seems that the current administration has firmly set its sights on bringing its constitutents to the brink of desperation, followed closely by subordination.
Most troubling is the clear decline and utterly unhinged nature of Trump, who has become increasingly bold in ways unusual even for him. Previously veiled threats towards opponents are now blatant assaults, endless lawsuits, personal attacks, and petty aggressions. With no respect for the truth, facts, or reality, Trump spouts falsehoods without restraint, and his disdain for others is not only visible, but is shared amongst his disciples. We can no longer pretend that these fascists care about the livelihoods of average Americans when they have shown us repeatedly that they do not. They are here to enrich themselves, secure power, and ensure their own ability to commit atrocities with impunity, while the rest of us fall into step.
What is, perhaps, the most-telling symptom of fascism in America is the sycophancy on display, from the inner circle and the public. Trump is a convicted felon, rapist, fraudster, adulterer, and pathological narcissist with only one clear motive in mind - ultimate power. This is all public knowledge, and the current administration’s handling of the Epstein Files points to the fact that what we don’t know about him and his involvement in illicit activities is even more disturbing. Yet, every day, millions of Americans wake up, adorn themselves in their MAGA memorabilia and head to work, or secure their red neckties on the way to the halls of Congress to defend him from the judiciary, and advance his agenda. If history rhymes, then this is a sonnet of sure demise.
Just as was the case with Hitler, who, by the end of his reign, had been reduced to a drug-addled lunatic shrouded in paranoia, Trump is walking a familiar path. No matter what he does, says, or shows to his supporters, they will not abandon him. Yet, each day, the rest of the world has come to worry more about what happens when no one is left to stand against this fascist regime.
The Aftermath
People often question my patriotism, because I choose to voice my opinions on the injustices being perpetrated against myself and my fellow Americans. However, that is what should be held as the quintessential American right - the ability to openly criticize a government that no longer supports the people, which Trump’s administration certainly is. Beyond my desire for change is the despondence stemming from the knowledge that America has the potential to be so much better than this, and we have chosen not to rise to the occasion.
If we continue in this direction, America will, within the next year, find itself in truly dire straits.
As immigrants are detained and deported, sentiment towards them will continue to sour, and hatred and violence against those responsible for their detention will rise precipitously. Jobs vacated by these detainments are destined to go unfilled, and lead to severe impact on the economy in the short and long term.
Families and communities will be destroyed, and we will be forced to watch as this administration attempts to rewrite American history by defeating ‘wokeism.’
The administration’s gross negligence toward the struggling farmers of America will cause a collapse, and the strain on foreign relations makes it less likely that any former allies will step in to bail us out.
The disdain for education and science, as well as the concerted effort to expel foreigners from American institutions, will lead to a severe, reverse ‘brain drain,’ and other countries will step in to fill the void, much as China has already done with the introduction of its K Visa.
The assault on Public Health will quickly evolve into a war against diseases and illnesses that had already been conquered, as American children and vulnerable adults contract and die from preventable maladies, like measles, COVID, polio, and more.
America will be increasingly viewed as untrustworthy, spooking foreign investors who can no longer depend on the clarity and integrity of the core components of its economic system, like the Federal Reserve or the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Disastrous fiscal policy, like tariffs and the Big Beautiful Bill, will be the nail in the coffin for the average American worker, and the ever-present threat of America’s insurmountable sovereign debt will make the United States an economic pariah on the global stage.
We will see the continuation in the degradation of our society, with issues like hunger, homelessness, healthcare, gun violence, and more, accelerating at rapid pace.
Political opponents will continue to be persecuted, just as we have seen today with the indictment of former FBI Director James Comey.
All of the values that America has championed - life, liberty, opportunity, equality, prosperity - will be wrenched away from the masses, as a small group of wealthy elite bleeds them dry.
Violence and infighting will be ubiquitous, and any semblance or false sense of security and safety will be eroded into nothingness.
Free speech will be buried beneath an avalanche of obsequiousness, and made impossible by terrifying new forms of technological surveillance.
Finally, the world will turn its back on the United States as it seeks to solve global problems, like Climate Change and war, without the leadership America once stewarded.
We are truly set to witness the decimation of the world’s foremost democracy. We shall become history ourselves, a perpetual distress signal to the future that warns of the detriment of allowing morals and values to be supplanted by such vile individuals as the President of the United States, Donald J. Trump.
