Hey ant, where do you think Trump and republicans sit on the fascist scale? What fascist qualities are they currently missing in order to make them truly fascist? I wonder if every box has to be ticked before one or a movement or body can be accurately described as fascist.
I ain't no expert, but I'll give it a shot.
From wikipedia - Tenets of fascism
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fascism#Nationalism_with_or_without_expansionism
Nationalism - yes, America First, the concept of a "real" America, white, non-diverse etc. Trump effectively cultivated the idea of China as the enemy in his final year, mostly in a trade sense rather than military - plus the Kung Flu and all that. But there was never really a "one true people" inseparable from the party and leader.
Totalitarianism - no. In true fascism everything - religion, culture, sport, family life etc is all subordinate and serves the party/ideology and system. Trump never had this. This of course leads to people informing on each other for doing "non-patriotic" or subversive things, another form of surveillance and social control.
Economy - fascism rejects socialism, but fascist economies generally try to be self-sufficient, state owned for industries of national significance so have "socialist" characteristics - maybe this is where Giardiasis' friend got the "govt. health care is fascist" line. Trump didn't nationalise, gave heaps to the military, and propped up Wall Street. But not really.
Action - fascism promotes action, usually in the form of political violence. Militias and quasi-military continue the "ongoing struggle" against subversive elements. Think Hitler Youth. Maybe you can see Proud Boys and the Capitol Hill thing as proto-fascist but not really.
Age and Gender - youth are coopted into the movement. The Youth are beautiful, young, strong, vibrant, carry the movement and struggle forward. Women can participate but most importantly must produce children to keep the state strong. Trump? No.
Palingenesis/Modernism - national rebirth, re-creation. The nation must be reborn to achieve full potential. Some of this in Trump's rhetoric, certainly. Modernism - technology/science provides the means to a better society, but a totalitarian society. Old things are rejected. Humans/machines are inseparable and all work towards the unified goal
Fascist aesthetics - pain, sacrifice, suffering, struggle for the cause are emphasised in art, sport, culture, media. this centres on the Leader. Think Nazi architecture, film, the beauty of the Aryan youth etc. Trump emphasised his own suffering a lot but didn't really call on others to suffer, and wouldn't know what aesthetics were if one bit him on the arse.
So I would say Trump showed fascist tendencies, used ideology that was proto-fascist maybe. But like I always say, he has the attention span of a gnat. He couldn't really be a Hitler or Mussolini, no self-discipline, no coherent ideology. He has a knack for populist rhetoric and a certain slimy charisma and showmanship, that's undeniable. But look at his term as president - no vision. It was just rolling back Obama reforms and making a lot of noise about himself, strengthening Wall Street, grifting as much for his family as possible. He had power but didn't really know what to do with it. For him it was all about ego, all about appearance, all about how he was perceived. It was just another version of The Apprentice for him - hence his obsession with TV ratings above all other indicators.
True fascist leaders get rich, certainly, but what they are really about is the pursuit of naked power.