An expert’s thoughts on POTUS

Added: 2026-05-20

[00:00:00]What does the most authoritative and influential living historian of fascism think of Donald Trump? Robert Paxton, former professor at Columbia University, is one of the foremost American experts on fascism in mid-20th century European history. He is the author of what many consider the most definitive work on the subject, The Anatomy of Fascism, published in 2004, amongst other highly regarded scholarship. His 1972 book Vichy France helped establish an entirely new field of research on France during World War under the Vichy regime.

[00:00:31]This shift became known in France as the Paxton in revolution and had a profound impact on French historiography. During Trump's first term in office, Paxton was reluctant to apply the term fascism, even as other critics and scholars used it more freely. "We should hesitate before applying this most toxic of labels," he said. And he warned against the tendency to claim that everyone you don't like is fascist.

[00:00:53]At the same time, Paxton acknowledged clear parallels between Trump and other fascist leaders like Mussolini and Hitler. He pointed to the potential of political violence, comparing groups such as the Proud Boys to historical paramilitary forces.

[00:01:07]And noted symbolic elements such as uniformity and slogans aligning with fascist patterns. Still, he dismissed these as largely superficial. "These were matters of surface decor," he said.

[00:01:18]But Paxton also emphasized key differences, like Trump's relationship with capitalism and the vastly different conditions between modern American and interwar Europe, where economic collapse, social unrest, and the aftermath of World War created fertile ground for the birth of fascism.

[00:01:35]However, in a Newsweek article published on January 11th, 2021, and used as contribution for this book of collection of essays, Paxton publicly changed his position. He said, "Trump's incitement of the invasion of the capital removes my objection to the fascist label." And he added that the term now didn't just seem acceptable, but necessary.

[00:01:55]In a 2024 interview with New York Times reporter Elizabeth Zeratsky, Paxton revisited the issue.

[00:02:01]And at 92, he still stood by his assessment. While he said the term might not be politically useful, he warned that something deeper is emerging. It's bubbling up from below in very worrisome ways, very much like the original fascism, he said. And his conclusion was unequivocal. It's the real thing. It really is, he claimed.