This Is What’s Missing From the Fascism Argument Against Trump

Harris picked up what Kelly put down. On Wednesday, she said these reports were “further evidence for the American people of who Donald Trump really is.… We know what Donald Trump wants. He wants unchecked power.” Later that day, when asked if she thought Trump was a “fascist” during a CNN town hall, Harris said that she did. On Thursday, the Democratic National Committee announced it had paid for a billboard with Trump’s quote about Nazi generals to go up outside the location of one of his upcoming rallies.

The tonal shift is not surprising. For one thing, it mirrors closing arguments made by Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden in 2016 and 2020, respectively, about the risk Trump posed to democracy. For another, a former chief of staff calling their ex-boss a “fascist” is a big deal, and speaking admiringly of Hitler—as Trump reportedly has on several occasions—is generally something most people disapprove of. Most important, Trump really is a threat to democracy, and he makes no secret of what he hopes to do if he returns to the White House: deport millions, politicize and weaponize the federal bureaucracy against his “enemies within,” and trample over every guardrail that could check his power.

As closing arguments go, it’s … fine. It worked in 2020, and may well again. But it also feels oddly thin. While Trump is truly an authoritarian, the threat he poses isn’t just to democracy. His fascism will have a material and destructive effect on people’s lives. It’s not enough to just call him a “fascist”—or even to just point to his praise for Hitler and other dictators. It’s incumbent on Harris and her running mate, Tim Walz, to explain what that would mean for voters themselves.