Summary

Gruber endorses Jonathan Rauch's Atlantic essay concluding that Trump's governing style now plainly fits the definition of fascism. However, Gruber argues that calling Trump a fascist or Nazi is strategically flawed because those terms were self-chosen names that became slurs only after their movements were defeated. Since Trump's movement rejects those labels, applying them gives his supporters rhetorical cover to dismiss the criticism. Instead, Gruber proposes a different strategy: make the names Trump's movement chose for itself — MAGA, Trumpist, and possibly Republican — into the universally recognized slurs, just as 'fascist' and 'Nazi' became slurs through the actions of those who bore them.

Key Insight

Rather than borrowing the shame of historical fascism by calling Trump a fascist, the more effective strategy is to make MAGA and Trumpist into their own universally recognized slurs through the movement's own actions and its own chosen names.

Spicy Quotes (click to share)

• 4

  We call Benito Mussolini's regime 'fascist' because he coined the term. His political movement was literally named the Fascist Party.

• 7

  'Fascist' and 'Nazi' weren't slurs that were applied to them by their political or military opponents. That's what they called themselves, and their names became universally recognized slurs because the actions and beliefs of the Fascists and Nazis were universally recognized as reprehensible and evil. And because they lost.

• 9

  Don't call Trump 'Hitler'. Instead, work until 'Trump' becomes a new end state of Godwin's Law.

• 8

  The job won't be done, this era of madness will not end, until we make the names they call themselves universally acknowledged slurs.

• 9

  We need to assert this rhetoric with urgency, make their names shameful, lest the slur become our name — 'American'.

Tone

urgent, polemical, strategic