Is Trump an authoritarian? Or a fascist? Two UW professors weigh in

Demonstrators are gearing up for another nationwide No Kings Day Protest this weekend against President Donald Trump. 

If you don’t know what we’re talking about, here’s a tagline on the event’s website to catch you up to speed: “Reclaiming Democracy, Rejecting Authoritarianism.” 

For years, Americans on the left have called Trump an authoritarian. And for a lot of people, his second go in the White House has only reinforced these labels.

In the past year, Trump has pardoned rioters who tried to keep him in office after a free and fair election; deployed the National Guard to major U.S. cities against the wishes of state governors; and called for the prosecution of his critics by the U.S. Justice Department. 

But does Trump’s expansion of executive authority make him… and authoritarian? Or a fascist, as some argue? Two experts from the Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies hash it out with us. 

Guest:

• Scott Radnitz, Herbert J. Ellison Professor of Russian and Eurasian Studies at the University of Washington
• Daniel Bessner, Anne H.H. and Kenneth B. Pyle Associate Professor in American Foreign Policy at the University of Washington and co-host of American Prestige
  

Related stories:

• U.S. is sliding toward authoritarianism, hundreds of scholars say : NPR
• Trump Vows to Prosecute Political Enemies — Who’s Next? | TIME
• What is fascism? Experts unpack the ideology : NPR

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