Does MAGA meet the Fascist framework? A pillar by pillar breakdown

Introduction

Lawrence Britt, a 20th century political scientist and researcher, through comparative analysis, developed a framework for fascism, emphasizing reliance on authoritarian nationalism. In 21st century America, the MAGA movement, led by sitting President Donald J. Trump closely resembles a large portion of the fascist patterns described by Britt. The MAGA movement, defined by its Christian nationalist sentiment, anti-immigrant rhetoric, scientific opposition, and description of an ‘internal battle’, closely takes after the warnings of Britt’s findings and should draw concern amongst the American constituency. 

MAGA, or Make America Great Again, was first coined by Donald Trump during his 2015 Presidential campaign (Britannica, 2026). However, MAGA was not invented by Trump. The idea of restoring America to greatness was first popularized by Ronald Reagan, tying back to the conservative belief of modern decline. Reagan’s movement focused on economic factors, while Trump’s movement focuses on cultural purity and institutional distrust. Over time, MAGA has moved from a campaign slogan to a modern political movement, establishing media support groups, donors, and large scale right wing loyalty networks. The MAGA movement at its core is a “nativist political movement”, arguing that America has lost its dominance due to “immigration and multiculturalism” (Britannica, para. 1, 2026). Nativism is defined as the idea that native born citizens should be prioritized over foreign residents. MAGA merges nativist policy with right-wing populism, ethnonationalism, and authoritarian leadership (Thulin, 2025). The majority of this nativist rhetoric is aimed at developing countries, promoting tighter Mexican border policing, and anti-Islamic border policy. In Trump’s own words, “When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best. They’re not sending you. They’re sending people that have lots of problems, and they’re bringing those problems with us. They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists” (ABC News, 2016). This pattern has continued into Trump’s current presidency, as in 2025 the ICE Force received a drastic funding increase’ receiving “45 billion” (American Immigration Council, n.d., para.1), and Trump has reportedly proclaimed the cultural inferiority of Somali immigrants, referring to them as “garbage” (AP News, 2025). MAGA also argues that the American decline can be attributed to globalization, and international alliances like NATO, and the UN, consistently vocalizing contention with American presence in European affairs (Council of Foreign Relations, 2023). 

To analyze the fascist tendencies of modern political regimes, scholars often utilize 20th century frameworks of patterns and trends. One commonly cited framework is that of Lawrence Britt (2004). Britt, through comparative analysis, looked at Nazi Germany, Mussolini’s Italy, Francoist Spain, and Imperial Japan, to identify common themes. Britt’s findings are not an academically qualified checklist, but a warning guide for authoritarianism. These tendencies were broken down into 14 key characteristics; Powerful and continuing nationalism, Disdain for the Recognition of Human Rights, Identification of enemies/Scapegoats as a unifying cause, Supremacy of the Military, Rampant Sexism, Controlled Mass Media, Obsession with National Security, Religion and Government are Intertwined, Corporate Power is protected, Labor Power is suppressed, Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts, Obsession with Crime and Punishment, Rampant Cronyism and Corruption, and Fraudulent Elections (Britt, 2004). 

Pillars of Facism 

Powerful and Continuing Fascism

Another element of this nationalist sentiment is the insistence on restoration and internal conflict. The MAGA movement is based on the fundamental belief that modernity has brought about the decline of America. This idea of loss is rooted in nationalism, as it creates a sense of moral urgency to revive a greater, purer past nation.

Disdain for the Recognition of Human Rights

In Britt’s description of human rights ignorance, he explains that under many fascist regimes, leaders dismiss human rights or civil liberties because of some perceived “need.” This often leads citizens to overlook government violence and oppression.

In 2025, ICE experienced its deadliest year in over two decades. Under the Trump administration, deportations were significantly expanded, and by December 2025 nearly 70,000 people were held in detention, with approximately 75 percent having no criminal conviction (The Guardian, 2026). According to Setareh Ghandehari of the Detention Watch Network, detention conditions have deteriorated substantially under the current administration, contributing to the heightened number of deaths (The Guardian, 2026).

Identification of Enemies and Scapegoating as a Unifying Cause

The Human Rights Campaign, the largest LGBTQ+ advocacy organization in the United States, reported in December 2025 that the MAGA movement’s fixation on transgender people has become central to its agenda. This focus has driven medically restrictive policies and justified major funding cuts in the FY26 budget (Human Rights Campaign, 2025). Mark Bromley, co-chair of the Council for Global Equality, further stated that House Republicans “chose to stoke the flames of hate” by scapegoating global LGBTQI+ programs during these budget reductions (Human Rights Campaign, 2025). This pattern of scapegoating extends beyond LGBTQ+ communities.

Eric Lach (2024) describes how Trump’s MAGA rhetoric relies heavily on the scapegoating of immigrants. Immigrants are consistently blamed for societal problems, treated as a homogeneous group, and portrayed as dangerous outsiders. Trump has referred to undocumented immigrants as “criminals,” “snakes,” and individuals “coming from jails,” and has repeatedly claimed they steal public benefits, while advocating for a border wall more than 600 times (Marshall Project, 2024).

Supremacy of the Military

On January 8, 2026, Donald Trump proposed requesting a defense budget of approximately $1.5 trillion. Experts widely disputed this figure, which would represent a 66 percent increase from the previous year’s defense budget (Kahn, 2026).

Trump has also deployed federal troops domestically and expanded foreign military operations. Beginning in 2025, troops were deployed in Los Angeles, Washington, DC, Memphis, Chicago, Portland, and New Orleans to combat what Trump described as an “invasion” and a “war within.” Additionally, recent military actions and threats involving Venezuela, Iran, and Greenland demonstrate Trump’s willingness to use military force to reinforce his political movement and emphasize national defense.

Rampant Sexism

Throughout his campaigns against female political opponents, Trump has frequently relied on sexist rhetoric to delegitimize his adversaries. He referred to Nancy Pelosi as “evil, sick, crazy,” allowing his audience to complete the insult. During attacks on Kamala Harris, speakers at MAGA rallies insinuated she was a prostitute and made jokes about her “working on the corner” (Lu, 2024).

Following Trump’s victory in the 2024 election cycle, researchers documented a dramatic increase in misogynistic language online, noting a 4,600 percent surge in phrases such as “your body, my choice” and “get back in the kitchen” (PBS NewsHour, 2024).

Former MAGA activist Charlie Kirk echoed similar rhetoric, telling Taylor Swift to “submit to your husband” and asserting that women are “not in charge,” reinforcing rigid gender hierarchies (Yahoo Entertainment, 2024). As Britt notes, fascist regimes tend to enforce strict gender roles, and the MAGA movement has consistently attacked feminism while promoting female submission and withdrawal from public life.

Controlled Mass Media

A 2025 survey conducted by Megan Brenan found that only 8 percent of Republicans believed the media reported accurately. Overall trust in the media has reached a historic low, with just 28 percent of Americans expressing confidence in news outlets (Brenan, 2025). This decline coincides with sustained attacks on the press by Trump, who has openly stated that when negative stories are written about him, “no one will believe you.”

Reports indicate that Trump has pressured media organizations by threatening broadcast licenses, interfering with business operations, and banning outlets from official events (Poynter Institute, 2026). Additionally, publicly funded media organizations such as PBS and NPR experienced a combined $1.1 billion reduction in funding following criticism of the administration (Brenan, 2025).

Obsession with National Security

An obsession with national security, as defined by Britt, often involves the use of fear of foreign threats as a means of public manipulation. In 2017, Trump tweeted that “our national security is at stake,” framing immigrants as existential dangers. This rhetoric has continued into 2026, with travel bans imposed on visa applicants from 75 countries, 38 of which face partial or full restrictions following a January 14 expansion announcement (Council on Foreign Relations, 2026).

The same analysis notes that over 600,000 deportations have already occurred during Trump’s presidency, drawing condemnation from human rights organizations and the United Nations refugee agency (Council on Foreign Relations, 2026). A January 20, 2026 executive order explicitly states that U.S. policy aims to protect citizens from “aliens who intend to commit terrorist attacks,” while restricting visa access on the grounds of administrative efficiency.

However, data from the Center for Strategic and International Studies (2024) indicates no resurgence of jihadist terrorism in the United States, with only one major attack occurring since 2001. In contrast, far-right terrorism has killed more Americans in the post-9/11 era than jihadist violence (New America, 2023).

Religion and Government Are Intertwined

Reporting has documented the rise of “MAGA Christianity,” a phenomenon in which religious identity and political loyalty become deeply intertwined. Journalists and researchers describe MAGA rallies that incorporate prayer, pastors, biblical language, and claims that Trump is divinely chosen, blending religious devotion with political mobilization (Smith, 2024).

Corporate Power is Protected and Labor Power is Suppressed

Over the span of Trump’s presidency he has consistently given tax cuts to corporate entities and has accepted significant portions of his personal funding from corporate PACs. In his first term, his 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs act reduced the corporate tax rate by a staggering 14%. Then, in his second term, it worsened. He repealed over 100 feral regulations, making compliance costs for corporations cheaper, and deregulating a large sector of their economic activity. A 2025 analysis of Trump’s economic policy also concluded that labor regulations were significantly weakened, shifting power away from employees (Curry, 2025). On top of all of this, a study done by the Institute on Taxation and economic policy (2024) similarly found that many corporations were paying significantly low tax rates, with 16% paying effective rates of a mere “less than 5%” (para. 1). 

Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts 

The Trump administration’s Big Beautiful Bill has been responsible for some of the largest budget cuts if not the largest budget cuts in modern American history. So far this year, he has proposed an $18 billion cut to the National Institute of Health, $5 billion from the NSF, proposed Pell Grant Cuts, Federal Work-Study Program cuts, and has targeted universities like Harvard, Duke, and Vanderbilt for federal aid cuts. 

These propositions and policies don’t just end at cuts. The Trump administration has also previously presented budget plans threatening to condense the NIH from 27 departments into 8, and completely eliminating the “the National Institutes for Nursing Research, the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, the Fogarty International Center, and the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities” (Palmer, 2025, para. 9). 

He has also verbatim said the following: 

 “I like bullets or … as little as possible. I don't need, you know, 200-page reports on something that can be handled on a page.”,  “I’ve always wanted to say this—I’ve never said this before with all the talking we all do, all of these experts … ‘the experts are terrible!’”, and  “I love the poorly educated,”

Fraudulent Elections 

After the 2020 election, Trump preached on any platform available that the election was stolen and he was the true victor. Despite no conclusive evidence ever being presented supporting this, his rhetoric that the election was a cheat created widespread mistrust in the electoral credibility. Then, on January 6th, 2021, a violent mob or rioters stormed the American capitol. This riot, fueled by President Trump, resulted in numerous deaths, damage to the premises, and one of the most significant challenges to American democracy in modern history. 

Not only this, but despite his accusations of election fraud, Trump has been exposed for pressuring his colleagues into shifting the results of elections in his favor. On one occasion, in a phone call with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, Trump asked him to “find 11,780 votes” to sway the results. 

Conclusion

This is not a partisan issue. Patterns are a partisan issue. America is not a fascist state, but the MAGA movement shows patterns that challenge democratic norms, highlighting the need for careful attention to how political power is exercised.

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