Trump is no Pinochet, nor Hitler, nor Stalin, nor any dictator in particular. He has not committed any mass murders (yet). However, he exhibits traits and actions extremely similar to those abusive. Hitler comes as the most popular similarities to his power.
[Scroll Down for "What If" Predictions.]
Like Hitler, Trump came into power through the democratic system despite losing the popular votes by more than 2%. Capturing the minds and hearts of the so-called majority, they both use rhetorical statements and slogan in hopes and promises for a different leadership and path without a specific stance or policies. With that, they portrayed the political system and government as corrupted, incompetent, and a drain to the people's lives. Whether it is direct or inadvertently, both managed to place the blame on certain groups by marginalizing their beliefs, lifestyles, and where they come from.
Once into power, Trump portrays fascistic views on how the country should be managed, and is on his way to becoming a full-fledged fascist. As mentioned, he managed to capture the hearts of many so-called majority (white US Americans) by making "America Great Again," giving them a sense of nationalism. He was able to convince many of the white population that US America's greatness was lost, and through him, he can get it back. By doing this, he racialized and marginalized different groups of people, placing the blame as the culprits of US America's downfall despite being the major support and drive of the country. He has emphasized the dominance of masculinity as the main support to society while disturbingly demoralizing women, and criticized men who lacks vitality and masculinity. He believes himself to be the man who understands the common people and voiced his leadership based on his "decisive" business experiences. He considers himself an "outsider" of the corrupted establishment party who rallied against the "evil" in the country despite being part of the establishment himself and being evil. Through mass media, mainly Twitter, Trump is able to voice his opinions to the blind white US supporters, and in return, the people will believe in whatever he says. With the constant use of executive orders, this can be seen as an abuse of his leadership power.
There are many controversial and disturbing characters in Trump's cabinet. Steve Bannon, the chief strategist, is a known racist and a closet (obvious) advocate of white nationalism and supremacy. Previously, Bannon served as executive chair of Breitbart News, a far-right website, in which Bannon described as "alt-right," which is, if not, dangerously close to Nazism, or Neo-Nazism, and white nationalism. Mike Pence, the vice president, is known for his homophobic and discriminatory bills he passed in the past when he was Governor of Indiana. He also is strict against abortion, limiting the right of women to choose. He has fought against the Syrian refugees, and he is skeptical about climate change. Rex Tillerman, the Secretary of State, has ties to Russia, and is good friends with Putin. Steven Mnuchin, the pending Secretary of the Treasury, has ties to Goldman Sachs. Jeff Sessions, the Attorney General, is a known racist and praised the KKK in the past. Coretta Scott King, wife of the Martin Luther King, Jr. even questioned his justice system. Dr. Ben Carson, pending Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, literally has no experience like Trump. Rick Perry, the pending Secretary of Energy, was infamously known for forgetting the departments he wanted to get rid of. Ironically, he is nominated to be the secretary for one of them. Betsy Devos, the Secretary of Education, is aggressively despised and opposed by many teachers, students, and people. Her lack of position in the education system and her support for unfettered and largely unregulated expansion of charter schools and vouchers made her an unfavorable opponent. The list goes on.
Trump is close to becoming a US American authoritarian tyrant. With his rise to power, his cabinet members, and the Republican-majority government, one could speculate the potential (and maybe far-fetched) future they may create and ruin.
With Trump as the so-called president, along with his administration, things are quickly degrading. When I talk about Trump, I also talk about him and everyone around him.
What if Trump declares martial law because of the rising civil unrest? What if Trump gives more rights and authority to police forces? What if Trump assembles a mass forceful raid on immigrants, illegal or not? What if Trump deports more illegal immigrants than all the presidents combined? What if Trump overrides all state and federal judges? What if Trump tasks secret services and groups to silence critics and opponents? What if Trump increases more spying on US citizens and cybersecurity? What if Trump upsets other nations, particularly China? What if they declare war on us? What if Trump sends more troops and intervenes with Middle Eastern affairs again? What if Trump invades a country for his own personal business? What if freedom fighters that were once our allies turn against us because we did leave them alone? What if Trump trades freedom for security? What if Trump reinstates the mandatory draft? What if Trump's wall is incomplete? What if we ran out of tax money because of the wall? What if Trump forces Mexico to pay for the wall? What if Mexico goes into a recession? What if Mexico's recession causes other nations to go into a recession? What if we go into a recession because of that? What if illegal immigration rises because of that? What if by 2019, we see an economic market crash that is nearly impossible to recover? What if pollution and climate change increase tremendously, and we see a rise of water and floods? What if we see another hurricane or typhoon that devastated a city? What if Trump handles the preparation and aftermath poorly? What if water supply decreases or is contaminated? What if Trump spends more government money than the rest of the presidents combined? What if Trump manages to completely remove the Affordable Healthcare Act without a replacement? What if tourism decreases because of Trump's marginalization of groups and the rise of white supremacy? What if income inequality becomes much more massive than ever because of cutting taxes from the top? What if mainstream media becomes taken over, censored, and/or shut down because of Trump? What if we see a massive decrease in the arts and the end of preservation of the humanities? What if we see more non-violent crimes than ever? What if Trump will constantly be impeached but always acquitted? What if Trump declares himself Chancellor? What happens then?
With the approval of Betsy Devos, a change in the education system could turn for the worse. Education is the biggest fundamental to people's future. It is through education that people are exposed to new ideas and philosophies. Controlling education means controlling the young generation's future.
What if the public education system would crumble due to lack of funds while private schools will become powerful? What if minorities and LGBTQ+ are discriminated, bullied, and barred from these private schools due to the schools' religious affiliation? What if the voucher system give little to families in need or in poverty? What if the voucher system causes more student loan debts and debts in general? What if the people cannot afford private schooling despite having some voucher? What if people cannot go to school because they cannot afford it? What if we do not have enough tax money? What if Devos asked business companies for help? What if corruption occurs in private schools?What if she was given more power to do whatever she wants? What if she was tasked by the administration to censor, change, or rewrite history in academic books? What if teachers who disagree with her teach their own methods and rebel against her? What if these teachers are fired and replaced with teachers who are puppets of the Trump administration? What if the education system fails? What happens then?
I understand that many of these predictions may be completely far-fetched. However, in the words of Ron Paul, "What happens if my concerns are completely unfounded? Nothing. But what happens if my concerns are justified and ignored? Nothing good."
