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Fascism Expert: Don’t Expect Trump To Leave WH, If He Loses
Ben Ghiat Says Trump’s following ‘authoritarian playbook”
Dr. Ruth Ben-Ghiat teaches Italian and History at NYU. Her expertise is “fascism, authoritarianism, war, propaganda, and Donald Trump,” according to the college’s website. I reached out to her to get her opinions on Trump and America’s descent into fascism. This is the conversation.
Otiko: As an expert in fascism, at what stage do you think America is?
Ben-Ghiat: Every authoritarian experience is different, but Trump has now amassed a loyal following, gotten many Americans to hate the press, has control of paramilitary-style forces (CBP, ICE, militias,) and the “right” right-wing men in key positions, like (William) Barr as attorney general. His next step is to secure his election no matter what — fraud, foreign-assisted infrastructural emergencies, voter suppression, martial law. We will see.
Many people who know Trump, like his former lawyer Michael Cohen, don’t think…
