Trump said he would only accept the result of an election if he wins it, way back in 2016[0]; he has a pattern of firing anyone who doesn’t do or say exactly what he wants, especially when it comes to persecuting his perceived enemies[1]; he’s used his presidential power to commute the sentences of members of his personal circle who are tried and convicted of crimes[2]; he’s called into question, without evidence, the integrity of American elections[3], since even before he was the president[4]; he constantly attacks the credibility of the free press[5][6], more recently questioning even the reporting of Fox News[7][8]; he bypasses congressional checks on his appointments[9]; he has deployed the military against peaceful protesters and threatened to violate the Posse Comitatus Act[10]; his White House is being investigated for politicising the FDA and CDC[11]; last month he authorised a new executive order that would enable him to more easily fire government employees[12]; he refused to just say that he would commit to a peaceful transfer of power if he loses[13].
If this is not sufficient evidence that Trump is a proto-fascist authoritarian, what more would be needed, in your mind, to meet that bar? Or, perhaps putting it another way, can you explain to me how all of this stuff is cool and normal and not a clear pattern of proto-fascist authoritarianism?
I did my best here to source examples from multiple media outlets in order to try to mitigate against the paradox that your main complaint is that the media is distorting the truth. Once someone decides that, not just one source, but the entire media apparatus is lying, it’s incredibly difficult to source information in a way which is acceptable—which is why a free press is so important, and why it’s particularly dangerous that Trump and his party have been spending so much energy on undermining it.
If this is not sufficient evidence that Trump is a proto-fascist authoritarian, what more would be needed, in your mind, to meet that bar? Or, perhaps putting it another way, can you explain to me how all of this stuff is cool and normal and not a clear pattern of proto-fascist authoritarianism?
I did my best here to source examples from multiple media outlets in order to try to mitigate against the paradox that your main complaint is that the media is distorting the truth. Once someone decides that, not just one source, but the entire media apparatus is lying, it’s incredibly difficult to source information in a way which is acceptable—which is why a free press is so important, and why it’s particularly dangerous that Trump and his party have been spending so much energy on undermining it.
[0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQJzt48wXbA
[1] https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/all-the-presidents-d...
[2] https://www.nytimes.com/article/trump-pardons-commutations.h...
[3] https://nypost.com/2020/11/05/trump-to-speak-from-white-hous...
[4] https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/worl...
[5] https://www.cbsnews.com/news/lesley-stahl-donald-trump-said-...
[6] https://cpj.org/reports/2020/04/trump-media-attacks-credibil...
[7] https://www.thewrap.com/trump-attacks-fox-election-day/
[8] https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/trump-attacks-fox-ne...
[9] https://www.npr.org/2020/03/09/813577462/how-trump-has-fille...
[10] https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-mobilizes-mili...
[11] https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politic...
[12] https://www.globalgovernmentforum.com/trump-extend-hire-fire...
[13] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZ2AvqLSjSs