In his Oct. 31 Sun-Times column, Jacob Sullum asserts that Trump is not “thoughtful enough” to be a fascist, preferring John Bolton’s assessment over Mark Milley’s that Trump is a “fascist to the core.”
Perhaps both views are off the mark and we should revert to the simple insight offered in the reliable observation that, “If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, then it’s probably a duck.”
One might say that a duck is not a duck “to the core” because a duck is “not thoughtful enough” to be a duck. But it’s a duck nevertheless, purely by instinct in the same manner that lions are carnivores.
The racist hyper-nationalism, the intolerance of dissent, rejection of “rule of law” (will over reason), rejection of the “Enlightenment” tradition at the core of our country’s founding, law-enforcement thuggery, misogyny, the Big Lie, identification with anti-democratic regimes elsewhere … all the boxes are checked, are they not? Yes, Trump’s inclinations in these directions may be entirely non-theoretical, arising out of “pure self-interest.” He is likely unable to define what fascism is, but then a duck is not able to explain what a duck is either.
A duck is a duck. In that sense, Trump is a fascist (see “The fascism of Trump and his enablers,” four years ago in Wednesday Journal’s Viewpoints section, https://www.oakpark.com/2020/06/17/the-fascism-of-trump-and-his-enablers)
Gregg Mumm
Oak Park