You're Comparing Trump to the Wrong Fascist Dictator

BY JOHN MEYER


In a deeply divided democracy, an aspiring authoritarian seizes new powers, often by declaring “emergencies” when none exist. This is only possible after he cobbles together a strong alliance of far-right forces in the military, conservative religious nationalists, a few massively wealthy oligarchs, and some centrists spooked by the specter of “socialism.” Freedoms are curtailed, institutions are undermined, and critics become “enemies of the people.” Before long, troops are in city streets—and not too long after that, democracy is gone, and an authoritarian reigns in its place.

This openly occurred in Spain in the 1930s with the rise of Gen. Francisco Franco. It’s also, for obvious reasons, a relevant historical lesson that parallels the U.S. today. While Donald Trump’s authoritarian ambitions frequently win him comparisons to Adolf Hitler, that is too far a stretch. Given Hitler’s well-deserved status as the shorthand for absolute evil, even the mention of Hitler can derail any conversation, with Trump’s camp rightly complaining of hyperbole or hysteria. However, a much better comparison is with Franco, whose contemporaneous rise to power is eerily similar to what America faces today—with a warning about what could come next.

https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2025/09/trump-hitler-comparisons-francisco-franco-fascism.html?via=rss_socialflow_facebook

An interesting opinion piece from Slate.