Fascism, Democracy and Donald Trump’s deals

Unconventional leadership tests the limits of democratic principles, while debates over authority and governance continue to intensify.

By J.A. Aleman

In politics there has always been red tape that politicians have to go through to get things done. Bureaucracy is often difficult to put up with, because no matter what laws are put into place and then enforced, not everyone is happy. 

It has been over a month since the Trump administration has taken the mantle of leadership and there has been no shortage of news every day since. 

Back when Trump ran for his first term, I heard people say that he would run the country like a business and that is something people didn’t mind. What rubbed many people the wrong way was when he was blatantly offensive toward groups such as Latino’s, women and LGBTQIA+. 

Still, I tend to agree on both counts because ultimately Trump is a businessman and has been for his entire professional career. With most of his actions thus far, I can see patterns of this type of thinking. The issue is that the business mind doesn’t cross over well when it comes to politics, because democracy doesn’t function as a business. 

I’ve heard arguments that he’s a fascist or an authoritarian, and we heard the media throughout the campaign trail that he was a dictator and should be seen as such. There is a fine line between any of these types of government to the point that they can all seem the same. 

Firstly, a fascist state is a form of government where a country’s actions have to do with extreme nationalism, militarism and placing the country before any other. With Trump’s rally cry of making America first for his second term, this seems to be echoing that type of sentiment. 

But to me, this looks like a majority stockholder trying to protect their assets and investments. Trump is running the country like a business, which is what I think people really wanted in the first place. After all, the U.S. is the largest capitalistic society in the world. 

Officially, fascism is “a political philosophy, movement, or regime (such as that of the Fascisti) that exalts nation and often race above the individual and that stands for a centralized autocratic government headed by a dictatorial leader, severe economic and social regimentation, and forcible suppression of opposition,” according to the Merriam Webster Dictionary. 

A poll completed in mid-February by CNN showed that Americans said Trump is doing what they expected, with 41 percent saying that’s a good thing, and 33 percent saying it’s bad. The poll also revealed 45 percent of Americans feel democracy is under attack, while 39 percent say it’s being tested. 

If I was polled, I would fall under that 39 percent, because when a new CEO takes over a company, they look at everything to trim the fat. This is one of the reasons Trump’s populist agenda was popular to begin with. He wasn’t like every other politician and the American people wanted something different. 

In 2024, according to a Gallup Poll, 41 percent of Americans said the high cost of living was the most important financial issue facing their family, and in 2025 so far, 35 percent of Americans say the economy is getting better. Only time will tell, as Vanguard foresees continued growth for the economy, depending on when Trump’s tariffs on Mexico and Canada take effect. 

I won’t call Trump’s administration fascist or authoritarian, because in America there is a system of checks and balances that limits power from any of the three branches of government. That’s what makes the U.S. different than countries such as Nazi Germany under Adolf Hitler and Italy under Benito Mussolini who were authoritarian, and arguably fascist. 

On Feb. 11 with the press in the Oval Office, Trump said he will always abide by the court’s rulings and if he disagrees, he’ll appeal. To me that doesn’t sound like an authoritarian and the bigger picture is that he understands that there are three branches of government at work. 

“We are the oldest continuous Constitution. Look at it from the perspective of the age of the governing documents and the longevity of the governing documents, the United States Constitution is one of the oldest documents still in use,” said Associate Teaching Professor Dr. William Burghart at UW Tacoma. 

Burghart’s focus is on interstate relations in the classical Mediterranean and in classical thought. 

The U.S. Constitution was written in 1787, ratified in 1788 and has been in use since 1789. Since George Washington was in the Oval Office, all presidents have been held accountable to the letter of the founding document. Remember, the Constitution was written before America became a nation. 

“Europe has given $100 billion, the United States has given $350 billion,” President Donald Trump said when speaking about the military aid given to Ukraine at the Conservative Political Action Conference on Feb. 22. “Europe gave it in the form of a loan, they get their money back, we gave it in the form of nothing.” 

He also remarked about trying to get some of that money back or in the least secure it by asking Ukraine for rare earth and oil. He was adamant about making peace to end the war between Russia and Ukraine. 

I think the wrong way of looking at it would be if I said that Trump is primarily doing this for a moral reason. He’s operating this as a business deal. If we listen to his language, he keeps using the word deal, which is what he’s all about. That is why he’s big on tariffs and anything that has to do with the economy. If it was a moral stance, then Russia, as the aggressor in the war with Ukraine should pay reparations to everyone that has been affected. 

I am not savvy in the political sphere to see if what Trump is doing is wrong when it comes to the Constitution in the fine print. But I do know there are three branches of government, and he only represents one, the Executive Branch. 

This led me to look at what an executive order really is, and according to the National Archives, the Constitution states that the president shall “take Care that the laws be faithfully executed.” 

The executive order is a written directive signed by the president that can order certain actions to be taken by government agencies. This, however, doesn’t mean an executive order can overrule federal laws and statutes as we saw that a federal court in New Hampshire blocked Trump’s birth right citizenship executive order. 

What should we be looking for then with this new administration? I wanted to know the signs of a falling democracy based on past nations, to understand how they come unglued. 

“In terms of broad strokes, the general attitude of, because he was elected, he gets to do whatever he wants. That is in line more with tyrannical, authoritarian, what classical thinkers would say is mob rule,” said Dr. Burghart. “This idea that the leader becomes the embodiment of the will of the people unbounded by laws.” 

Some have seen this in Trump’s attitude when he posted on X saying, “he who saves his country does not violate the law.” 

There was no explanation of what he meant by this, which led many to be fearful of what’s to come. In the end, this business tycoon turned president will have to step down at the end of his 4-year term. That leaves this journalist saying to his readership, fasten your seatbelts, because whether we like it or not, we’re in for a ride. 

But on a more hopeful note, this is America and our country is stronger than any president or administration.