Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad F-Word?
On May 14, 2025, the U.S. Department of Agriculture hung a massive portrait of Donald Trump on its D.C. headquarters beside Abraham Lincoln, marking the agency’s 163rd anniversary. Framed as a celebration of leadership, the display instead signaled a shift—from honoring the institution’s founding to glorifying its current occupant. In democracies, leaders serve institutions. In fascist regimes, institutions serve the leader. (Image: MANDEL NGAN / AFP via Getty Images / Via x.com)
Populist. Autocrat. Authoritarian. Hypercapitalist. Illiberal.
But... not fascist?
Trump is a fascist.
And the fact that so few are willing to say that out loud in government, in media, in polite public discourse, is exactly why we’re raising our voices now.
On June 14th, as Donald Trump celebrates his birthday with a undeniably authoritarian display of military power in Washington, D.C., we’ll be holding our own event, June 14th at the Vancouver Art Gallery at noon, to protest not only his authoritarian actions, but the culture of silence that enables them.
Over the past 100 days, Trump has dismantled democratic norms, threatened his political enemies, deployed dehumanizing language, and re-centered the power of the state around personal loyalty to himself. These are not isolated incidents. They are defining features of a fascist regime.
And yet…
We Hesitate to Name the Regime Itself
Despite an administrative assault on every foundational democratic institution over the past 100 days, despite open displays of fascist symbolism, and despite a U.S. President who values loyalty to himself over allegiance to the Constitution, public figures and media outlets are still reluctant to say the word. Why?
It’s “Old Fashioned”: Fascism isn’t new, but the word feels antique. For many, it belongs to 1930s Europe—sepia-toned history. The assumption is: it can’t happen here and now.
It’s been co-opted: The word “fascist” has been thrown around so casually - by both left and right - that it’s lost precision. But more than that, it’s been politically stigmatized. The right has equated anti-fascist resistance with extremism, turning “antifa” into a bogeyman and making anyone who uses the word fascism seem hysterical or radical by association. In this landscape, to speak clearly about fascism risks being cast as partisan or alarmist, even when the term fits.
It’s creeping: Fascism doesn’t always arrive with a bang. It seeps. What once would’ve been an unthinkable abuse of power is now a Tuesday. We’re being slowly conditioned to accept authoritarianism as ordinary.
Naming it requires action: To call Trump a fascist isn’t just a rhetorical shift. It’s a moral alarm bell. Once that label is accepted, institutions, journalists, and citizens must ask: what are we going to do about it?
That’s why we’ve launched this petition: to break the silence.
From Vancouver, we’re calling on leaders and institutions—here and in the U.S.—to name the threat clearly. Trump is a fascist, and his threats to Canadian sovereignty make it our fight too.
Sign the petition ➜ Trump is a fascist. Say it publicly. Say it together.
Trump is a Fascist.
Let’s move beyond vague comparisons. Below, we outline the cross-referenced criteria of fascist leaders, based on scholars like Robert Paxton, Umberto Eco, Jason Stanley, Timothy Snyder, and Madeleine Albright (links below) and show how Trump meets every one.
Cult of Personality: Trump has constructed a personality cult where loyalty to him personally outweighs loyalty to democratic institutions or facts. His followers often view him as the only one who can "save" America, and dissent from within the Republican Party is purged or punished.
Mandatory loyalty tests: Job applicants for the Trump administration underwent intense loyalty screenings, including questions about their support for Trump and the "MAGA" movement.
Punishment for perceived enemies: Trump is using his government power to target political opponents, news organizations, former government officials, universities, and student protesters and law firms.
Ultranationalism: He promotes a form of ultranationalism centered on white, Christian identity. “America First” is not just a slogan—it’s a dog whistle with deep roots in isolationism and xenophobia. His policies and rhetoric target immigrants, and nonwhite populations as threats to national purity.
Appointed extreme white nationalists to top posts: Chief of which is Stephen Miller, a clear white nationalist and the person largely credited with informing most of Trumps decisions.
Reopening migrant detention centers: The Department of Homeland Security has reopened detention centers in Texas, retrofitting them for families, signaling a return to previous immigration policies.
Disdain for Democratic Norms: He tried to overturn a democratic election, leading to the violent January 6th insurrection. He has attacked the media, judiciary, and electoral process. Since returning to power in 2025, he’s made clear that he intends to punish enemies, deploy the military domestically, and erode checks and balances.
Defiance of Supreme Court orders: The administration has shown willingness to defy federal courts, including the Supreme Court, escalating conflicts over the separation of powers.
Consideration of the Insurrection Act: Trump considered invoking the Insurrection Act to deploy military forces domestically, raising concerns about the use of military power against civilians.
Scapegoating and Demonization: Fascists need enemies. For Trump, it’s immigrants, activists, the "deep state," journalists, trans people, and “globalists.” He frames them as existential threats. His recent 2025 statements about “vermin” echo direct Nazi-era language.
Blaming DEI for a mid-air collision: Following a tragic mid-air collision over the Potomac River, President Trump attributed the accident to DEI hiring practices within the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), despite the lack of evidence linking diversity initiatives to the crash.
Anti-immigrant rhetoric: Trump claimed that immigrants are "poisoning the blood of our country," a statement widely condemned for its xenophobic undertones.
Anti-Intellectualism and Propaganda: He discredits experts, spreads disinformation, and glorifies instinct over expertise. His followers are taught to trust him over science, the media, or their own eyes. He’s building a state-media ecosystem through platforms like Truth Social and allies at Fox and beyond.
Threats to cut university funding: The administration threatened to cut federal funding to universities over alleged anti-Semitism and non-compliance with executive orders, pressuring institutions to align with government views.
Defunding public media: In May 2025, Trump signed Executive Order 14290, terminating all federal funding for NPR and PBS, accusing them of "biased news coverage." This move effectively dismantles the Corporation for Public Broadcasting's support for these outlets, undermining independent journalism.
These are just the first 100 days. And with every demand that foreign leaders show deference, every photo-op that looks more like a loyalty pledge than diplomacy, with every political opponent investigated, every judge targeted or arrested, with every not-so-subtle hint at a third term, Trump catapults himself away from democratic norms. He’s done everything but stamp the word FASCIST across his forehead.
We need to be using the word: Fascist.
Everyone should be calling it what it is: Fascism.
The media should be using it. And that’s what we want…
Fascism shouldn’t be casually assigned. It is a term that carries weight and serious consequences to the associated society. It isn’t a term that should be assigned to insult or antagonize, but rather identify the type of threat deeply known to human history.
If we give it a name, we understand its outlines, and we can anticipate behavior and decisions.
What’s next? Join us June 14
Join us June 14th from noon - 2pm, event details here
