In a recent rally held in New Hampshire, former President Donald Trump has intensified his divisive and what has been labeled as “fascist rhetoric,” causing alarm among experts who warn of potential dangers to democracy and human rights. According to a report by HuffPost on Monday, December 18, 2023, Ruth Ben-Ghiat, an authority on authoritarianism and a history professor at New York University, expressed deep concerns over the trajectory of Trump’s language, emphasizing a “very precise purpose” behind his choice of words.
Despite being banned from major social media platforms due to his alleged role in inciting the January 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, Trump has persisted in amplifying his controversial messages through campaign-style events, targeting key states for the potential 2024 election, including Ohio, Florida, and New Hampshire.
During the New Hampshire rally on Saturday, Trump reiterated unfounded claims of election fraud and launched attacks on immigrants, asserting that they are “poisoning the blood of our country.” Ben-Ghiat, the author of “Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present,” revealed to CNN’s Jim Acosta on Sunday that such language is a deliberate effort to dehumanize immigrants and mentally prepare Trump’s supporters for a possible violent crackdown should he return to power.
“The Trump campaign has made it very clear what they want to do to immigrants,” Ben-Ghiat stated. “They have planned mass deportations, mass detentions, likely abuses, and violence in those operations.”
She further emphasized that Trump’s rhetoric aims to condition Americans to accept these repressive measures in the future, characterizing this approach as a disturbing facet of fascism.
Additionally, Ben-Ghiat warned that immigrants may not be the sole targets of Trump’s authoritarian agenda. She noted the frequent mention of “mental institutions and prisons” in his speeches, suggesting a desire to confine critics and opponents. Referencing a specific speech where Trump proposed expanding psychiatric institutions, she highlighted a concerning parallel with historical tactics employed by fascists and communists to silence dissenters.
“This is a tactic that fascists and communists used to silence dissenters and troublemakers,” she explained, referring to the practice of placing those who opposed state propaganda or posed as troublemakers into psychiatric institutions.
Ben-Ghiat urged Americans to take Trump’s threats seriously and resist his attempts to undermine democracy and the rule of law. “He is not going away, and he is not going to stop,” she cautioned. “He is going to keep on trying to divide the country and to radicalize his base and to prepare them for violence.”
