I tread softly when it comes to making comparisons to Donald Trump & Hitler, to trumpism and fascism, for it can often sound like sour grapes, like hyperbole. But last Friday, Diane Ravitch dedicated the bulk of one post to Bob Shepherd, one of the wisest men I know of, and his post about the comparisons of Trump and his ideology, if he can be said to have one, vs that of fascist leaders in the past, primarily Hitler. I think he makes his point quite well. The post is a bit long, but fascinating and thought-provoking, so I really hope you’ll take the time to read it. Thank you, Diane and Bob!
Bob Shepherd is a polymath and a daily reader of the blog. He has been involved in every aspect of educational publishing, and most recently, he was a teacher in Florida. He graciously offered to help me with two of my books—The Language Police and Slaying Goliath—by carefully editing them before they were turned in to the publisher. And we have never met!
He wrote on his own blog:
A few years back, a friend, someone whom I respect, challenged me on Facebook, saying that Trump might be a lot of things, but he wasn’t an actual Fascist. Well, I beg to differ. If it steps like a goose, . . .
Here are a few of the clear signs that, yes, Fascist is precisely the term to describe Trump, his supporters, and those who wish to assume the orange mantle:
Alliance with other Fascists/Authoritarians. D.T. allied himself…
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Filosofa's Word 
Trump always reminded me more of Mussolini than Hitler. He has the same postruing and smugness of Il Duce.
Best wishes, Pete.
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Good point! And not quite as much on the ball as Hitler, much as I hate to pay Hitler a compliment, but he wasn’t a stupid man … Trump is.
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Prior to the 2016 US presidential election, the wife watched a Japanese program comparing the content of pre-election speeches of Hitler and Trump. When translated into Japanese, the rhetoric was almost identical, but Hitler presented it with more passion and eloquence.
As the wife mentioned at the time, it was quite frightening, and in hindsight it was only because a few of his critical appointments refused to disregard the rule of law at a pivital point in time (Jan 6) that trump is not in a position of power equivalent to the Fuhrer of Nazi Germany. If there is a next time, you can be sure that trump will make sure (one way or another) that every position is filled with those who are loyal to him above all else.
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That’s really interesting, Barry! And yes, I agree with your wife … it is scary as hell! What makes it even scarier is that the people of this country … well, half of them anyway … are so brain-washed that they will vote for him again! And with gerrymandering and voter restrictions, as we have discussed before, that half could easily call the shots next year. And the people … they won’t know what hit them when they get what they wished for, will they?
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Jill, I would argue Trump is more regal-minded than fascist. He wants to be King. He is OK with any means to get him toward that goal. But, as King he can remove anyone who does not suit him, like GAO personnel, Internal Auditors, people who have testified under oath of his wrongdoing, or those who just don’t genuflect as low as needed. As an attorney who worked for him said, if you are on Trump’s good side, don’t get used to it, as you won’t be there for long, Keith
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Yes, I do believe that Trump saw himself as something of a king, but he also openly admired the likes of Putin, Orbàn, Jong-un, etc. I keep remembering his desire for a military parade to honour him … truly Hitler-esque. I sometimes used to envision him saying, “Off with their head!” when someone crossed him or refused to commit to the ‘loyalty oath’. Sigh. We cannot allow him another shot at the White House … we simply cannot!
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Jill, there is no doubt in my mind that Trump has followed the rhetoric of earlier fascists like Hitler, as Barry noted. To be such a fan of Putin should raise concerns as well . As Senator John McCain wrote when Trump sided with Putin against his one intelligence people, he called Trump a traitor. Little did he know, that he would further support that argument on January 6, 2021.
Yet, his modus operandi mimics that of a fictional character more than a real one. Donald Trump reminds me of the Queen of Hearts from the original movie “Alice in Wonderland.”
Keith
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Ah yes … John McCain … one of the few modern-day Republicans for whom I had a great deal of respect.
You’re right … Trumps m.o. reads like bad fiction! And the “Alice in Wonderland” comparison is one I’ve thought myself, as I could picture him screeching, “Off with his head!!!”
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Maybe we can give Trump a new superlative, The Stupidest Fascist Leader of All Time! After all, we know Trump loves to be the best at whatever he does, and he does Fascism and Stupid equally well.
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👍👍👍
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SFLAT … Yeah, I think it suits him to a “T”!
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The Russian propaganda tells US that Selensky and his duly elected government are nazis, a bit absurd because Selensky is a Jew. So this term (Nazis or fascists) is really overused and may be not so helpful at all. Trump admires persons like the Russian Tzar Putin and even the North-Corean dictator Kim-Il Sung. He even tried a dilletant coup d’etat after the last presidential elections with the support of US-American Nazis. But it must be clearly noted that Benito Mussolini was much more efficient and successful in this regard on the Italian ground in 1922, Il Duce del Fascismo!
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Well, first off, you cannot believe anything that comes out of the Russian propaganda machine. No, Zelenskyy isn’t a Nazi, nor are the Ukrainian people. In fact, most of the people in Russia have relatives in Ukraine. The term is overused, but the term ‘fascist’ has a very specific definition, and applied to Hitler, Mussolini, and others … and if you listen to Trump’s speeches … you can definitely hear shades of Hitler in them. The world cannot afford another such as Mussolini or Hitler … another world war would almost certainly be the end of the human species. Might actually be in the best interest of the planet and other species!
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Please look firstly in your own US American history and what went wrong for example the genocide of the Native American, slavery, white racism and supremacy exong toll today since the 17th century. Comparisons with persons who committed unbelievable mass-murdetings like Adolf Hitler, Josef Stalin or Mao Tse-Tung are not helpful! Donald Trump is a mere US American phenomen. German and/or Italian history are just misleading in this regard.
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Oh, you won’t get any argument from me about our genocidal and racist history! In fact, I’ve been a strong advocate for teaching the truth … ALL the truth … about the foundings of this country from the genocide of the Indigenous People throw Jim Crow and the Civil Rights era, for it seems that we are sliding backward toward those times again, and the only way to stop that is to educate people! But, two (or more) wrongs don’t make a right, and our atrocities don’t lessen those of Hitler, Stalin, Mussolini, et al. Trump still seems to me to be following the Hitler playbook more than that of our founding fathers (slavery/genocide) or even the confederates who fought so hard to keep Black people enslaved.
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Does Trump has a plan like manifested in Hitler’s “Mein Kampf” which is forbidden in Austria and Germany? Well, he was an Austrian in fact. The Austrian State purchased bis house of birth some years ago and then destroyed and vaporized it, a real good action and sign. But the demons if these times are still alive, and is our obligation to fight against them. We nearly have the same opinion in this regard what is the most important!
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Hah! Trump? Plan? Admittedly, Trump’s intelligence is not on a par with Hitler’s, but I believe his evil, his intent is. So no, he has no plan beyond to turn the U.S. into an authoritarian state with him at its head, stepping on whomever gets in his way. Yes, I think you and I share the same basic goals, opinions and ideology … we both want a better world for all.
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Me and my wife also have different opinions on certain issues (also due to diverse gendertypical perceptions, but the main understanding has never changed in 40 years. You can see her in my Last post. Have a look of you like. Good night
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I did have a look, and your First Mate Beatrice looks lovely!!! So does the sea, by the way! It’s good that you can agree to disagree on some things and not let it drive a wedge between you … not every couple is capable of doing that!
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