Fascism With a Friendly Face

Vance will carry Trumpism into the future

Why did Donald Trump choose J.D. Vance—who once called him “America’s Hitler”—as his running mate? I believe it’s because Trump sees Vance as the perfect figure to carry forward Trumpism, regardless of the election outcome. Vance could solidify Trump’s movement within the Republican Party for years to come, but with a softer tone, a more polished speaking style, and a composed demeanor. Think of it as fascism with a friendly face.

To frame this properly, we shouldn’t immediately jump to Nazi Germany as the example of fascism. On Tuesday’s Bulwark Podcast, historian Timothy Snyder, author of the bestseller On Tyranny, emphasized that Mussolini’s Italy or other non-genocidal fascist regimes provide better comparisons. When we equate fascism exclusively with mass extermination, it feels far-fetched, causing us to lower our defenses.

Make no mistake—Trump and his movement, marked by division, vitriol, and threats, represent the first fascist uprising in American history. The evidence is clear: the violence of January 6, the demonization of minorities, belief in conspiracy theories, and efforts to undermine trust in our election system with false claims of rigging.

Once a Trump critic, Vance is now fully aligned with him. He refuses to acknowledge that Joe Biden won the 2020 election fairly and even originated the baseless claim that Haitian asylum seekers are stealing and eating pets in Columbus, Ohio. Like Trump, Vance is quick with an insult (calling childless women “cat ladies”), opposes free trade, and rejects further aid to Ukraine in its war against Russia.

Vance is not alone in his views. When the House was asked to approve more funds for Ukraine, the majority of Republicans voted no. In Congress, few will openly admit that Trump lost the 2020 election. More recently, Republicans have rallied behind Trump as he promoted a conspiracy theory linking FEMA funds from Hurricane Helene to aid for undocumented immigrants.

Trump’s grip on the GOP’s immigration stance is so strong that he only needed to make a few calls to kill a bipartisan immigration reform bill that many Republican senators had supported. Within the national party, his influence is similarly overwhelming. He’s placed loyalists in key leadership positions at the Republican National Committee (RNC), including his daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, as co-chair.

As co-chair, Lara Trump purged staffers deemed insufficiently loyal and helped shape the party platform, which is so dominated by Trump that its title—Make America Great Again—is his campaign slogan. Under her leadership, the RNC has merged its campaign efforts with Trump’s and spent tens of millions of dollars defending him in legal cases spanning Florida, Georgia, Washington, and New York.

In New York, Trump faces business fraud charges and is appealing his conviction on 32 counts. In Washington, he is charged with inciting the January 6 Capitol attack. In Florida, he’s been indicted for illegally retaining classified documents, and in Georgia, he’s accused of attempting to overturn the state’s 2020 election results. Despite the evidence, many Republicans reject the idea that Trump broke any laws, instead aligning with his claim that he’s a victim of a “weaponized” justice system.

The pro-Trump sentiment within the GOP is so pervasive that even candidates for local offices, like school boards and city councils, are often judged by their loyalty to him. Similarly, state and local leaders responsible for overseeing elections are chosen based on their allegiance to Trump.

Looking ahead to future elections, Trump supporters are preparing to challenge any results that don’t go their way through legal appeals. This was not a common Republican strategy before Trump, but since 2020, his followers have filed over 100 complaints, targeting everything from mail-in voting to vote-counting procedures.

These so-called election integrity efforts are rooted in false claims of widespread voter fraud, including the baseless notion that undocumented immigrants are registering to vote and casting ballots for Democrats.

In all, Trump has so thoroughly captured the GOP that anyone seeking the party’s 2024 nomination will need to champion his policies. This is where Vance comes in. He’s clearly positioning himself to inherit Trump’s mantle, and as Trump’s running mate, he’s auditioning to become his political heir.