The fascists remaking our government are telling us exactly who they are and what they're planning.
When fascism first came to Germany in the 1920s it was dismissed as buffoonery. Even as it rose again in the 1930s, more popular and organized than ever, many of the educated classes laughed off the Nazi propensity for flags and silly outfits.
Once in power it took Hitler just 53 days to dismantle German democracy.
But Trump has something Hitler did not. Trump has the richest man in the history of the world by his side and all the resources that entails. People keep asking, what's in this for Musk? The answer is inherent to Musk—what else could a powerful narcissist want but the world itself?
As Robert Caro wrote, absolute power doesn't corrupt, it reveals.
The brazen Nazi symbology, the blitzkrieg strategy, rhetoric hinting of eugenics. The obvious fascist salute Musk delivered at the inauguration was both a declaration and a call to action, but people forget what he said in that speech.
"This was no ordinary victory," Musk said that night. "This was a fork in the road of human civilization. Okay? There are elections that come and go. Some elections are important, some are not. But this one really mattered. I just want to say thank you for making it happen. Thank you. My heart goes out to you. It is thanks to you that the future of civilization is assured."
Fascists throughout time have justified their actions by claiming to be the saviors of civilization. White, western, Aryan civilization.
They're telling us and showing us exactly who they are.
Trump and Musk have both been warning people that there will be discomfort along the way to their new golden age. Trump announced in a social post on February 15, "He who saves his Country does not violate any Law.” Then a few days later called himself a king.
DOGE has a dual purpose, to thin out the federal establishment, keeping the opposition disoriented, while also securing all the vital systems they need to keep the state functioning when they seize power. Treasury payments and the IRS.
Meanwhile, Ka$h Patel, the newly minted Director of the FBI removes thousands of federal agents from Washington DC, the seat of power, and consolidates his authority by taking on the dual role of director of the ATF. Installed as his number two is Dan Bongino, the arch conspirator and 2020 election denier. Unqualified to be sure, but loyal to the point of malice.
Last week Trump also massacred the top military brass, installing loyalists. This week Pete Hegseth purges Defense.
Everything is nearly in place. Watch Elon's performance at CPAC. He seems like a man unhinged, a man who knows a bloodbath is coming. When asked what's on his mind, Musk responds darkly "A storm."
For Hitler the obsession was, much like it is for JD Vance, with birthrates. The Fuhrer feared the collapse of German civilization and so he wanted room to grow. His goal was Lebensraum. It's why he pushed east into Poland and eventually Russia. Sparking the greatest mass murder in history.
Trump's targets are also expansionist—Canada, Greenland, and Panama—but his aim isn't living space, it's precious metals and natural resources. While Greenland and Panama provide control of trade around the continent, Canada offers Trump another major prize: enough money and treasure to wipe out most of America's $36 trillion national debt.
This is the real reason Trump wants friendship, even alliance with Putin. Russia serves as both cover and partner for Trump's true ambition. And with 5,580 nuclear warheads, poses the only true threat to global domination.
"Fascism should more properly be called corporatism because it is the merger of state and corporate power."
This quote is often attributed to Benito Mussolini, the leader of Italy's National Fascist Party, and father of fascism. And while it rings true to those of us witness the rise of the MAGA fascism, and likely serves as a reflection of the ideal outcome for the likes of Musk, it strays from the true character and makeup of fascism. Which is probably why Mussolini never actually said it.
"The Fascist State lays claim to rule in the economic field no less than in others," Mussolini actually wrote in 1935 in The Doctrine of Fascism, Firenze: Vallecchi Editore. "It makes its action felt throughout the length and breadth of the country by means of its corporate, social, and educational institutions, and all the political, economic, and spiritual forces of the nation, organized in their respective associations, circulate within the State."
Corporatism certainly lies at the heart of fascism, but while it may be a preferred tool, ultimate power and authority lies with the leader and no one else.
Herein lies the major miscalculation of the broligarchy now helping and abetting Trump's consolidation. They think they are equal players at the table, but what the likes of Zuck, Bezos, Cook, and even an "intellectual fascist" like Musk misunderstand is that in fascism there's only room for one at the top.
Maybe, ultimately, the billionaires will prevail. Trump is incredibly old, after all. Maybe they think they can use him to destroy democracy and install a pliant corpo-fascist like Vance in a few years (this seems to be Peter Thiel's calculation). But they're playing with fire. And the true believers are already waging a war to purge their influence.
Steve Bannon, comically, pathetically, tried to wrestle some of the fascist momentum from Musk this past weekend during his own CPAC speech. Giving a Nazi salute of his own, minus the energy and enthusiasm of his arch rival.
Once again, the speech he gave was more important than his embrace of fascist symbols. After railing against the elites (Bannon is an Ivy League graduate and former Goldman Sachs investment banker), he declared, "The future of America is MAGA. And the future of MAGA is Donald J. Trump. We want Trump in '28!”
They have power, and they never intend to give it up again. Trump has mused repeatedly that he should be allowed to stay past his current, and final, Constitutionally determined second term.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration, quietly, with little objection or notice, is setting up the infrastructure of internal terror. Building out detention facilities in Gitmo. Expanding the role of the military in domestic policing. Ratcheting up their rhetoric against those who would defy them.
We stand on the precipice of darkness. And as of now it appears that the American Republic will give way without a fight.
The Republicans are happy to surrender their power. The Democrats are largely feckless and impotent. And the mainstream media and the intellectual elite are still largely laughing the entire thing off.
"The Gulf of America" lol.
But we laugh at our own peril. Fascism is in control. Power is being consolidated. Loyalists are being installed. It's only a matter of time before we begin to see arrests. It's only a matter of time before we see true repression.
The last fight for American democracy will likely occur in 2026, over the midterms. But I expect the last free and fair elections were already held last year.
There's a war coming. A literal war. And so far the fascists are the only ones gathering weapons and ammunition.
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