America’s Growing Concern about Fascism.

1. Once in power, both moved quickly to isolate their nations from other democratic nations.
2. Both sought to cancel treaties and agreements that promoted harmony with democratic nations.
3. Both expressed deep respect for totalitarian leaders and their methods of governance.
4. Both quickly moved to forge alliances with totalitarian dictatorships.
5. Both attacked the free press, claiming that media criticism of their policies was treasonous.
6. Both sought support from white nationalists by targeting racial, religious, and ethnic minorities in incendiary speeches and oppressive policies.
7. Both urged police to assault defenseless detainees.
8. Both attacked labor unions as enemies of capitalism, while abusing power to enrich far-right industrialists.
9. Both postured as military strongmen while ordering arms build-ups that served no defensive needs.
10. Both purged government officials who tried to expose their attempts to consolidate their power.

Why is Fascism Bad?

Authoritarian control: Power is concentrated in a single leader or ruling party, with no democratic checks or balances, leading to abuse of power and lack of accountability.
State violence and fear: Fascism often relies on militarized police, surveillance, and political repression to maintain control, creating a climate of fear and distrust.
Persecution of minorities: Fascist ideologies often scapegoat certain groups (ethnic, religious, political, etc.), leading to systemic discrimination, violence, and even genocide.
Propaganda and misinformation: The regime controls information flow, promotes lies, and rewrites history to maintain power and manipulate the population.
Economic inequality and exploitation: While fascism may promise national prosperity, it often benefits the elite and corporations while workers lose rights, protections, and fair wages.
Elimination of political opposition: Opposing parties, unions, and activist organizations are banned or violently repressed, silencing alternative viewpoints and democratic processes.
Militarism and war: Fascist regimes glorify war and nationalism, often leading to aggressive expansionism and catastrophic conflicts (e.g., WWII under Nazi Germany).
Stifling of culture and intellectual life: Art, education, and science are censored or controlled to serve the regime’s ideology, destroying creativity and critical thought.
Suppression of individual freedoms: Fascist regimes typically outlaw dissent, censor the media, and crush freedom of speech, leaving people unable to express opinions or challenge authority.

Deep Research

Executive and Legal Maneuvers

From January 2025 onward, President Trump has unleashed a torrent of executive orders and legal moves that critics say undermine checks and balances. For example, on Day One he signed orders to freeze federal grant money and to challenge birthright citizenship, actions that courts immediately blocked. Courts have paused “several of his executive orders, including ones seeking to eliminate agencies created by Congress and ending birthright citizenship”apnews.com. Legal scholars warned that the funding freeze – halting billions in domestic aid – was a blatant violation of the Constitution’s “power of the purse,” and a judge quickly enjoined itbrookings.eduabcnews.go.com. Likewise, Trump’s order attempting to end birthright citizenship was struck down as unconstitutionalbrookings.edu. In short, “the Constitution, federal law and court decisions make it clear” that such orders lack any legal basisabcnews.go.com.

He has also sought to weaponize the justice system. The administration directed the Justice Department to drop charges against a political ally (New York City’s mayor) on flimsy grounds, prompting senior DOJ resignations and warnings that the rule of law was under threatapnews.com. Trump installed a loyalist, Ed Martin, as interim U.S. Attorney in Washington, D.C. – a known Jan. 6 defendant’s lawyer – who then pressured federal prosecutors to “investigate” Democratic leaders like Sen. Schumer over past statementsapnews.com. Musk and other Trump backers have even called for impeaching judges who rule against the administrationapnews.com. As Kevin Casas-Zamora of the International IDEA democracy group notes, such tit-for-tat punishment of enemies and rewards for allies is “something that has long been a staple of Latin American politics”apnews.com. In short, legal experts warn that Trump’s early moves echo the “classic elected authoritarian playbook” – flouting Congress and the courts to centralize powerapnews.combrookings.edu.

Rhetoric and Institutional Attacks

Trump’s public statements and speeches have repeatedly assailed democratic norms. He has repeated baseless election fraud claims, telling crowds, “the only way we’re gonna lose [is] because they cheat”theguardian.com, and refusing to commit to accepting any defeat unless conditions are “fair and legal and good”theguardian.com. During the 2024 campaign he even called Election Day a “Liberation Day” when “vermin” and “radical left lunatics” would supposedly be eliminated from public lifetheatlantic.com. He has hailed the January 6 rioters as heroes, calling the Capitol attack a “day of love”theguardian.com. On other fronts he openly undermines independent institutions. He declared on social media, “We are the federal law” and quoted Napoleon: “He who saves his country does not violate any law,” signaling that he views himself above legal constraintsapnews.com. His allies have gone further: Vice President J.D. Vance demanded firing “every single mid-level bureaucrat… and replace them with our people,” and adviser Steve Bannon calls openly for “deconstruction of the administrative state”theatlantic.com.

Many experts warn these verbal attacks are no accident. Atlantic writer Adrienne LaFrance observes that Trump is already dismantling norms “faster than you can imagine,” following an authoritarian templatetheatlantic.comtheatlantic.com. She notes that he is purging independent thinkers from government and replacing them with sycophants, centralizing power, and waging an “all-out assault on the truth”theatlantic.com. Other analysts point out that Trump’s discrediting of courts and press will only worsen. LaFrance warns “the government’s attacks against other checks on power – the press, the judiciary – will worsen. … Enormous pressure will be exerted on people to stay silent. And silence is a form of consent”theatlantic.com. In the same vein, Atlantic’s Anne Applebaum has described Trump’s dismantling of the civil service and attacks on judges and opponents as “a playbook on undermining democracy”npr.org.

Consolidation of Executive Power

Trump has aggressively pursued policies to centralize executive authority. One of his first orders directed all federal agencies (even so-called independent ones) to submit regulations for White House review – a sweeping override of long-standing agency autonomywhitehouse.govapnews.com. Similarly, his administration delayed or rescinded laws passed by Congress. For instance, Trump refused to implement a bipartisan TikTok ban upheld by the Supreme Court, signaling a willingness to ignore legislative intentbrookings.edu. Under the banner of “restoring accountability,” he has ordered the Office of Management and Budget to exert control over independent regulators (FTC, FCC, SEC, etc.) that traditionally act without presidential approvalwhitehouse.gov.

Perhaps most alarming, Trump has revived the “Schedule F” scheme from his first term. A Jan. 20, 2025 executive order on “Restoring Accountability to Policy-Influencing Positions” reclassifies thousands of career civil-service jobs as “policy” roles, effectively removing their legal protectionsoversightdemocrats.house.gov. Congressional Democrats warn this would “purge more than 100,000 nonpartisan civil servants and replace them with employees loyal to [him]”oversightdemocrats.house.gov. As Brendan Nyhan noted, a concession to democracy is that “the power you gain through the ballot box is not unlimited power”apnews.com. But Trump’s actions – dismantling entire agencies and rewriting the rules on appointees – violate that principle. In LaFrance’s words, he is already forcing “the Constitution [to] bend and then finally break. This is what tyrants do. Trump is doing it now in the United States”theatlantic.com.

Loyalty Over Democratic Norms: Allies and Appointments

Trump has staffed his administration with ideologically loyalists and financial backers, often at the expense of expertise or neutrality. The most prominent case is Elon Musk, appointed to head a new “Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).” Despite having no electoral mandate, Musk was given sweeping, unaccountable powers over federal agencies – a move critics label a private takeover of government. Anne Applebaum writes that Musk’s DOGE “has instead focused… on the eradication of the federal civil service,” a strategy she calls outright “regime change”theatlantic.com. Brookings observers note Musk now wields “unelected and non-transparent power” in government, even overseeing the dismantling of USAIDbrookings.edu. At a protest on Presidents’ Day (Feb. 2025), demonstrators held a banner reading “No one voted for Elon Musk,” highlighting popular outrage over this unchecked appointment (see figure below). apnews.comtheatlantic.com

“No Kings Day” protest on Feb. 17, 2025 in Washington D.C., with a banner reading “No one voted for Elon Musk.” Critics decry Musk’s appointment as emblematic of Trump’s drive to install loyalists and sideline career civil servantstheatlantic.combrookings.edu.

Other picks have raised eyebrows. Trump’s acting U.S. attorney in D.C., Ed Martin – a lawyer for Jan. 6 defendants – notably contacted Democrats like Sen. Schumer to pressure investigations of their past statementsapnews.com. He has also tapped political confidants in succession: e.g. choosing retired generals and allies for top defense posts, and securing a loyalist (Pete Hegseth) as Secretary of State. Throughout, the message is loyalty first. In fact, even during the campaign, Trump’s allies openly urged purging bureaucrats: J.D. Vance said Trump should “fire every single mid-level bureaucrat…replace them with our people,” and Steve Bannon has spoken of “the deconstruction of the administrative state”theatlantic.com. The combined effect is a federal government being refilled with party loyalists and cronies – a hallmark of authoritarian regimes.

Delegitimizing Elections and Voter Administration

Finally, Trump has mounted a persistent campaign to undermine faith in elections. Over 2024–25 he repeatedly claimed without evidence that any loss would be due to fraud (the “Big Lie”). He told rallies that “the only way we’re gonna lose is… because they cheat”theguardian.com, and even with polls tight he refused to promise a peaceful transfer: he said he would only accept results “if it’s fair and legal and good”theguardian.com. Having evaded punishment for Jan. 6, he has instead embraced the rioters as heroes. His vice-presidential pick, Senator Vance, flatly refused to say Trump lost in 2020. A Guardian analysis notes that the 2024 campaign has been littered with vows that “if the Republicans lose, it will be by fraud” and plans for a “Liberation Day” to purge political enemiestheguardian.com.

Beyond rhetoric, Trump and his allies have built an electoral subversion apparatus. Republicans have mobilized lawyers and operatives to flood states with lawsuits and challenges to election results. The Republican National Committee spent months filing frivolous lawsuits alleging fraud in voter rolls – actions experts say are designed only “to generate headlines and create the impression that something is amiss”theguardian.com. Dozens of local election officials who refused to certify 2020 results are now overseeing vote counts this cycletheguardian.com. Democrats and voting-rights groups report that nearly 1 in 5 Republican voters believe Trump should declare any loss invalidtheguardian.com, and Brennan Center expert Sean Morales-Doyle warns that the plan to subvert the 2024 outcome is “more thought-out, more strategic, more organized” than in 2020theguardian.com.

In March 2025 Trump codified this approach in an “election integrity” executive order. Experts at Brookings call it “an unprecedented expansion of executive power” that could actually disenfranchise millions of votersbrookings.edu. For instance, the order demands documentary proof of citizenship for voter registration (an arbitrary addition beyond current law) and empowers the new DOGE and DHS to subpoena state voter rolls for “maintenance.” Brookings analysts note that requiring photo IDs or passports for voting would “likely disenfranchise millions who do not have access” to such documentsbrookings.edu. In effect, this order centralizes election oversight under Trump while erecting new barriers for voters – steps that many observers warn threaten core democratic rightsbrookings.edu

Key Actions Summarized

Action / StrategyTimeframeDescription (Sources)Freeze federal funding (EO)Jan 2025Trump issued an order pausing ~$300 billion in domestic aid. Legal experts called this a “blatantly illegal order” usurping Congress’s powerbrookings.eduabcnews.go.com. Courts quickly blocked the freeze.

End birthright citizenship (EO)Jan 2025Executive order claimed the administration would no longer recognize birthright citizenship. States sued immediately; courts enjoined the move as unconstitutionalbrookings.edu.

DOJ politicizationFeb 2025The DOJ, under Trump, dropped charges against a close ally and summoned prosecutors to investigate Democrats. His U.S. Atty in D.C. (Ed Martin) even pressed Sen. Schumer to “investigate” past commentsapnews.comapnews.com.

Purge of civil service (“Schedule F”)Jan 2025Trump revived a plan to reclassify ~100,000 career federal jobs as “policy” positions. A GOP memo warns this would “purge… nonpartisan civil servants and replace them with employees loyal to” Trumpoversightdemocrats.house.gov.

Elon Musk to DOGE (appointment)Jan 2025Trump appointed Elon Musk (with no electoral mandate) to lead a new Department of Government Efficiency. Analysts note Musk is focused on “eradication of the federal civil service” – i.e. a regime-style overhaultheatlantic.combrookings.edu.

Election interference (rhetoric & prep)2024–2025Trump repeatedly claimed elections would be stolen (“only way we lose is… fraud”)theguardian.com and refused to say he’d accept defeattheguardian.com. The RNC and allied lawyers have filed junk lawsuits to sow doubttheguardian.com.

Voter-ID / election EOMar 2025A March executive order cites debunked fraud claims and orders voter-ID rules (e.g. passports for registration) that experts say would “disenfranchise many voters,” consolidating election power in the White Housebrookings.edubrookings.edu.

SOS

Each of the above actions has been flagged by journalists, think-tank analysts, and constitutional experts as weakening democratic safeguards. As political scientist Brendan Nyhan observes, Trump is following “the classic elected authoritarian playbook”apnews.com. In Adrienne LaFrance’s words, if unchecked these “thousand cuts” of power “bleed” the democracy, and each day the government is shaped more by “people without standards or scruples”theatlantic.com.

Recent reporting makes clear that Trump’s post-2024 agenda – through courts, orders, rhetoric, and appointments – systematically concentrates power and erodes institutional checks. Critics warn this steady march resembles historical authoritarian tactics, theatlantic.com apnews.com. Preserving democratic norms will require vigilant oversight, as experts note “the death of democracy happens by a thousand cuts” when citizens fail to push backtheatlantic.com.

Sources: This report draws on detailed analyses from major news outlets and research centers apnews.comapnews.com brookings.edu theatlantic.com apnews.com theguardian.com oversightdemocrats.house.govbrookings.edu, which document Trump’s 2024–25 actions and their implications for U.S. democracy.