ABSTRACT
Donald Trump spent years serving as the bridge between neofascists and the conservative right. His political efforts included: his reactionary messaging on immigration, his attacks on scientists, journalists, and medical researchers, as he sought to force a “herd immunity” response to Covid-19, his support for “alt-right” neofascism, his amplification of QAnon messaging, and his efforts to sow mass distrust of the U.S. electoral system via baseless voter fraud conspiracies. Trump’s rhetoric is different from that of previous presidents, as I demonstrate in a comprehensive analysis of speeches from Trump, Barack Obama, and George W. Bush. I document how Trump adopted the language of white supremacy and eliminationist attacks on the legitimacy of the Democratic Party, with rhetoric that was far more radical than anything articulated by previous presidents.
This chapter also reviews Trump’s policies, including those focusing on immigration, efforts to suppress Black Lives Matter protests, attempts to criminalize Trump’s political opponents, and the Trump’s illegal confiscation of taxpayer funds to build his wall between the United States and Mexico. Attention is devoted to the culmination of Trump’s neofascistic politics via his failed efforts to execute a rolling coup through judicial, state legislative, congressional, and insurrectionist attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election.
