FASCIST BOXES THAT TRUMP CHECKS

1. Elevate the will of the charismatic leader over the rule of law

2. Suspend or simply trash the Constitution

3. Vilify and demonize the free press

4. Scapegoat a less powerful minority group

5. Refuse to accept the results of elections that don't go their way

6. Embrace and/or refuse to disavow violence as a means for obtaining or maintaining political power

7. Pack government with sycophants and yes-men

8. Support other fascists and autocrats abroad

9. Whip up fear with lies and demagoguery

10. Falsely claim that he alone can "fix it."

11. Double down on lies, repeat lies ad nauseam

12. Never admit to a having made a mistake

13. Demonize political opponents

14. Pander to the base; tell them whatever they want to hear

15. Claims to be persecuted; plays the martyr

16. Rhetoric and policies centered on greivance

17. Overwhelm the electorate with chaos and lies (what Trumpty Dumpty's one-time White House Advisor Steve Bannon called "filling the zone with shit" ). The goal is to get people to distrust everything they see and hear. To achieve this, denigrate and cast aspersions on all institutions that use evidence to establish facts, i.e. the judicial system, journalism, academia, and science; simultaneously produce a tsunami of disinformation and crackpot conspiracy theories. When people throw up their hands in disgust, they are primed for the authoritarian/ strong man/demagogue/fascist to take charge. Which is exactly where the heads of MAGA acolytes are today.