Authoritarianism Expert Has Worrying Response To Chris Hayes' Quandary Over Trump | HuffPost Latest News
By: HuffPost
Some insights from an expert, Professor Ruth Ben-Ghiat.
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
MSNBC's Chris Hayes on Tuesday said he was torn between taking seriously and just seeing as fear-mongering the reported plans that Donald Trump has to go after critics, conduct mass deportations and introduce camps for immigrants if he wins back the White House next year.
Authoritarianism expert Ruth Ben-Ghiat told Hayes that threats from Trump and his allies should definitely be taken at face value.
It's "what fascists do," said the history professor at New York University and author of "Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present."
"In all of my research, every time these people come to power, or before they come to power, when they come on the scene, they tell us who they are and what they're going to do. And people don't want to listen. Perhaps it's too upsetting, they don't want to take them seriously," Ben-Ghiat cautioned.
People initially thought Italian fascist dictator Benito Mussolini was "some sort of blusterer," she said. "We don't take them seriously at our peril, and often it's when it's too late people wake up and say, 'Oh, I should have listened when Trump said he could shoot someone and not lose any followers in Jan. 2016.'"
Ben-Ghiat added, "Back then, he was telling us he was sympathetic to violence, was capable of violence personally, and he would be loved for all of this. And he is loved for this. And he's been trying to reeducate Americans since 2016 to feel that violence is patriotic and justified."
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Many of us have encountered comments on NT from ignorant and uneducated people who refer to descriptions of authoritarianism and fascism as "laughable". Professor Ben-Ghiat, one of the countries' leading experts on authoritarian movements, set the record straight.
Why do you suppose Trump didn't suspend the Constitution in his first term?
He received too much push back from people in positions of authority who did not agree with him. This time, he won't allow that to happen. All of his appointees will be hard line authoritarians, and he has already promised to purge any currently serving in the government who are not.
trump attempted to obstruct a constitutional mandated function of a joint session of congress on J6.
Don't you remember the bill Pelosi passed in 2022?
WASHINGTON — The House passed legislation on Thursday aimed at curbing a president’s authority to hire and fire tens of thousands of federal workers, moving to bolster the job security of civil servants targeted by former President Donald J. Trump and his allies as disloyal “deep state” operatives.
House Passes Bill to Insulate Federal Workers, Addressing a Trump Threat - The New York Times (nytimes.com)
How does he get by that?
when did the law ever stop him while he was in office? why is his current case claiming total immunity for his illegal activities in office still working it's way thru the courts? which laws will he follow or not, if elected?
1. Did the Senate pass the House bill? I believe not, therefore, it is not the law.
2. As the article you linked noted, Trump has a plan to re-introduce an executive order known as Schedule F, that he signed in 2020, which he believes will give him the power over the federal bureaucracy that he seeks. Whether or not his plan will be effective remains to be seen as it will undoubtedly be subject to legal challenge. Of course, it would surprise no one if Trump were to ignore any unfavorable court rulings under some interpretation of the unitary executive theory his advisors might propose, or any bill passed by the Congress not to his liking for that matter..
GOOD!
It's only "GOOD!" If you would support an autocratic President.
How about a one party bureaucracy?
That is one of the Trump/republican goals.
No, I think it is clearly the goal of the party that knows it can't get 50 plus % of the population to endorse its agenda. That is why millions of migrants were brought into the country and given entitlements.
What you "think" is not reality. In fact, Your Dear Leader Trump, who lost the popular vote by a large margin in both of his previous election efforts, is already plotting with his cadre to turn the federal bureaucracy into a one-party Trumpist sycophancy. (See again Comment 1.1.5 above and the article you linked in your Comment 1.1.3) For your information, the most recent Pew Research Center study shows that 61% of the American people view the republican party unfavorably. Furthermore, your comment regarding immigration is standard right-wing replacement theory propaganda, and again, divorced from reality.
So many knowledgeable and decent and intelligent people told the fucking moron time and time again, that - 'you can't do that, it's not legal, you can't do that'
All one has to do is read any of the many tell-all books written by folk who worked for Trump while he was making a mockery of the White House.
Trump was/is completely ignorant of how government works and of all the laws and regulations he had to follow.
Trump was/is completely illiterate and couldn't understand any of his briefings unless they were explained to him with crayon pictures.
Interesting how all of his supporters are all just as ignorant and, like Trump, graduated at the very bottom of whatever school class they may have ever attended or luckily graduated from.
Trump was/is completely ignorant of how government works and of all the laws and regulations he had to follow.
I wish I could remember who said it, but I remember an interview with a prominent conservative who was approached by Don Jr. for a cabinet position for daddy’s first term. This person expressed their shock in how obvious it was that Trump Sr. had no idea how government works, to the point that he had his son out there soliciting for jobs covering every conceivable function of government to cover everything that the federal government might be responsible for. His comment to Jr. was “… and what is Trump’s job supposed to be?” The implication was clearly that Trump had no interest in doing any job that would fall under his purview as commander in chief, and just wanted people to blame for everything that falls apart because of his massive inability to do the job of POTUS. The guy flatly turned down the opportunity. As we all witnessed in real time over the course of his failed presidency this was absolutely true.
On 1/6, as the former 'president' watched the coup/insurrection that he incited unfold, he sat on his big fat ass and did nothing because he knew that 'they're doing this for me' despite pleas from many asking him to stop its cult/supporters/enablers/defendersoftheindefensible.
I don't think he's capable of actually committing actual violence himself*, he's a coward, but he is capable of inciting violence.
*unless it's sexual assault
... or a bucket of chicken.
Or a cheeseburger with fries.
An extra large pepperoni and sausage pie
Trump is the epitome of a schoolyard bully.
Somebody should have said "fuck your daddy's money and power" and beat the crap out of him over and over many, many years ago.
as a survivor of the jocks vs heads wars in the late 60's and early 70's, that shit works.
When people tell you something believe it.
Since Trump is a documented world class liar, I rarely believe anything he says but do believe the fascist way he says them.
Proud to be a Trump "vermin" and "bag of crap" who will stop him.
He's insane.
Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.
Trump is getting evil-crazier by the hour. He had a bonkers rally speech in Iowa today.
Even though the vast majority of democrats/liberals believe in the rule of law, It does surprise me that somebody has yet to assassinate this anti-American, anti-democracy ex-president.
Guess all the badass liberals are just too busy laughing at him.
wait 6 months and one of his kids will do it...
Always saw them as a dysfunctional family.
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