FASCISM IS HERE: Dystopian Trump rally horrifies democracy supporters around the country
Reactions to Donald Trump’s Ohio rally on Saturday ran the gamut. Sparking criticism for its cult-like environment and anti-democratic tone, the ex-President’s speech drew comparisons to Hitler’s 1936 Nuremberg rally. With reactions ranging from disbelief to disgust, everyone from entertainers, journalists, military veterans, political watchdog groups and current and former government officials weighed in with disgust and horror at the level of maliciousness, hatred for fellow Americans, and authoritarian intent displayed by Trump and his motley bevy of MAGA supporters.
Retired four-star general Barry R. McCaffrey assessed Trump’s rhetoric as incendiary, saying “This is our greatest danger as a nation since 1860.”
Astonishing Trump language. The crowd is similar to a Nuremberg rally 1936. A lawless Trump in office in 2024 election would slide us into autocracy and deny our Constitutional safeguards. This is our greatest danger as a nation since 1860. VOTE. https://t.co/XVGK0yYKdv
— Barry R McCaffrey (@mccaffreyr3) September 18, 2022
Tonight’s Trump rally. Do you Nazi what I see? pic.twitter.com/DJBbV1Q9SG
— MeidasTouch (@MeidasTouch) September 18, 2022
“The Nuremberg Rallies were an annual event held by the Nazis between 1933 and 1938,” reported Newsweek, which reminded its readers of the laws passed by the Nazis regulating who was counted as a German citizen.
“The Reich Citizenship Law stipulated that only racially pure Germans could hold German citizenship, while the Law for the Protection of German Blood and German Honor banned race-mixing by prohibiting intermarriages and sexual relations between Jewish people and people ‘of German or related blood.'”
This was a sentiment echoed at the most recent Conservative Political Action Coalition (CPAC) event hosted in Texas, where Hungarian dictator and known European nationalist Victor Orban condemned “race mixing.” This appeal to racial purity raises significant concerns for America after the Supreme Court’s summer ruling overturning the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision cast doubt on the safety of Loving v. Virginia – the equally landmark decision legalizing interracial marriage – and also raises the possible overturning of privacy rights for those in same-sex relationships.
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), an organization that holds politicians accountable to the rule of law, compared the Youngstown rally to a Nazi rally held 83 years ago in New York City.
On the left, a Nazi rally in New York City in 1939.
On the right, a Trump rally in Ohio in 2022. pic.twitter.com/rPiUZS1P8s— Citizens for Ethics (@CREWcrew) September 18, 2022
Fascism was on full display at Trump’s Ohio rally yesterday, and it wasn’t lost on those who haven’t sipped the Kool-Aid.
Actor and filmmaker Rob Reiner reminded us of the importance of the midterm election for the sake of preserving our democracy.
After watching Trump’s rally in Ohio, there is no other way to put this: Donald Trump is a Fascist. We can no longer say this can’t happen here. And if we don’t come out in massive numbers in these midterms, it will happen.
— Rob Reiner (@robreiner) September 18, 2022
In an op-ed for The Philadelphia Inquirer, columnist Will Bunch warned that the “GOP’s fascist right turn should terrify you.”
“Trump’s apocalyptic closing diatribe from an arena in the epicenter of Rust Belt industrial decay demands our attention — as the current front-runner for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination continues to steer his followers toward an authoritarian cult of personality, committed more to its warped leader and his perceived slights than any justifiable cause,” Bunch wrote.
Author and MSNBC contributor Ruth Ben-Ghiat warns of the radicalization of Trump’s supporters – evidenced by the cultish actions and groupthink of his MAGA followers and their reactions to his inciteful rhetoric.
Trump is a national security threat. He is radicalizing QAnon ppl further and exposing others at these rallies. He is preparing them to be his next army of thugs, ready to do his bidding when he needs them. https://t.co/d07rh5KhRD
— Ruth Ben-Ghiat (@ruthbenghiat) September 18, 2022
As Trump lashes out like a cornered animal — and his base’s grasp on reality continues to unravel in parallel to his own psychological disassociation — the more dangerous they both become.
January 6th was just the beginning. Trump’s “Big Lie” has been used to radicalize and weaponize millions of Americans – promoting violence, civil war and spinning dystopian fantasies (nightmares, really) of a Christo-fascist, white nationalist country where it’s OK to discriminate, marginalize and subjugate anyone classified as “other” in their xenophobic, racist and bigoted minds.
Luckily, many of the American people are taking notice – the quiet parts of the Republican authoritarian plot no longer exist. Fascism is rising loudly, thanks to Donald Trump, and the only way to derail it is to stop the fast-moving authoritarian train in its tracks.
Now.
Follow Ty Ross on Twitter @cooltxchick
