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In this episode, I explore three traits of fascism—rampant sexism, control of mass media, and obsession with national security—through the lens of the Trump administration. From Donald Trump’s public insults, harassment allegations, and policy decisions affecting women, to attacks on journalists, media lawsuits, and attempts to shape public perception. The episode also delves into militarization, expanded enforcement agencies, record defense budgets, and the politicization of the military. Finally, I consider human psychology, exploring why ordinary people support authoritarian leaders, the role of fear, and the mechanisms that sustain loyalty.Sources
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/nov/18/trump-calls-reporter-piggy-bloomberg?
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/nov/26/trump-insults-new-york-times-reporter-katie-rogers
https://www.vanityfair.com/news/story/donald-trump-miss-piggy?
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/assault-allegations-donald-trump-recapped?
https://www.bbc.com/news/election-us-2016-37595321
https://www.lwv.org/newsroom/press-releases/dangerous-step-backward-our-democracy-league-women-voters-responds-passage?
https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/chicago-politics/what-is-the-save-act-and-why-are-democrats-opposed-to-trumps-pitch/3899768/
https://time.com/7276543/title-x-funding-freeze-threatens-states/
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/apr/24/civil-rights-trump-order?
https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/IF13057
https://www.kpbs.org/news/politics/2025/07/17/trump-files-defamation-suit-over-wall-street-journal-story-on-his-epstein-ties
https://apnews.com/article/epstein-justice-department-trump-793e47b09863f5a55e54040c891291d8
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/latest-epstein-document-release-includes-multiple-trump-mentions?
https://people.com/trump-longest-state-of-the-union-doesnt-mention-epstein-files-11913914?
https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2025/sep/22/jimmy-kimmel-show-return-charlie-kirk-suspension-disney
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/what-is-the-equal-time-rule-that-colbert-says-led-cbs-to-pull-his-talarico-interview
https://apnews.com/article/trump-lawsuit-new-york-times-b2a615192ebe2dcec859eb883368dfbb
https://www.theguardian.com/law/2026/jan/30/press-freedom-journalist-arrests-ice-don-lemon
https://www.wistv.com/2026/01/30/journalist-don-lemon-is-arrested-after-protest-that-disrupted-service-minnesota-church/
https://www.war.gov/News/News-Stories/Article/Article/4119896/securing-the-southern-border-two-months-of-decisive-action/
https://www.cbsnews.com/live-updates/trump-hegseth-military-leaders-meeting/
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ice-funding-big-beautiful-bill-trump-deportations/
https://www.the-independent.com/bulletin/news/ice-budge-military-spending-trump-b2790555.html
https://www.war.gov/News/News-Stories/Article/Article/4227847/senior-officials-outline-presidents-proposed-fy26-defense-budget/
https://www.scrippsnews.com/politics/foreign-policy/trump-pushes-putin-and-zelenskyy-to-end-war-in-ukraine
https://apnews.com/article/jd-vance-zelenskyy-ukraine-854b13006d0601223e5ac8d955b08a8b
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-some-people-follow-authoritarian-leaders-and-the-key-to-stopping-it/
https://www.psypost.org/perceived-social-breakdown-fuels-desire-for-authoritarian-leaders-new-psychology-study-shows/
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/your-personal-renaissance/202009/why-do-people-follow-authoritarian-leaders
By AaronIn this episode, I explore three traits of fascism—rampant sexism, control of mass media, and obsession with national security—through the lens of the Trump administration. From Donald Trump’s public insults, harassment allegations, and policy decisions affecting women, to attacks on journalists, media lawsuits, and attempts to shape public perception. The episode also delves into militarization, expanded enforcement agencies, record defense budgets, and the politicization of the military. Finally, I consider human psychology, exploring why ordinary people support authoritarian leaders, the role of fear, and the mechanisms that sustain loyalty.Sources
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/nov/18/trump-calls-reporter-piggy-bloomberg?
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/nov/26/trump-insults-new-york-times-reporter-katie-rogers
https://www.vanityfair.com/news/story/donald-trump-miss-piggy?
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/assault-allegations-donald-trump-recapped?
https://www.bbc.com/news/election-us-2016-37595321
https://www.lwv.org/newsroom/press-releases/dangerous-step-backward-our-democracy-league-women-voters-responds-passage?
https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/chicago-politics/what-is-the-save-act-and-why-are-democrats-opposed-to-trumps-pitch/3899768/
https://time.com/7276543/title-x-funding-freeze-threatens-states/
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/apr/24/civil-rights-trump-order?
https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/IF13057
https://www.kpbs.org/news/politics/2025/07/17/trump-files-defamation-suit-over-wall-street-journal-story-on-his-epstein-ties
https://apnews.com/article/epstein-justice-department-trump-793e47b09863f5a55e54040c891291d8
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/latest-epstein-document-release-includes-multiple-trump-mentions?
https://people.com/trump-longest-state-of-the-union-doesnt-mention-epstein-files-11913914?
https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2025/sep/22/jimmy-kimmel-show-return-charlie-kirk-suspension-disney
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/what-is-the-equal-time-rule-that-colbert-says-led-cbs-to-pull-his-talarico-interview
https://apnews.com/article/trump-lawsuit-new-york-times-b2a615192ebe2dcec859eb883368dfbb
https://www.theguardian.com/law/2026/jan/30/press-freedom-journalist-arrests-ice-don-lemon
https://www.wistv.com/2026/01/30/journalist-don-lemon-is-arrested-after-protest-that-disrupted-service-minnesota-church/
https://www.war.gov/News/News-Stories/Article/Article/4119896/securing-the-southern-border-two-months-of-decisive-action/
https://www.cbsnews.com/live-updates/trump-hegseth-military-leaders-meeting/
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ice-funding-big-beautiful-bill-trump-deportations/
https://www.the-independent.com/bulletin/news/ice-budge-military-spending-trump-b2790555.html
https://www.war.gov/News/News-Stories/Article/Article/4227847/senior-officials-outline-presidents-proposed-fy26-defense-budget/
https://www.scrippsnews.com/politics/foreign-policy/trump-pushes-putin-and-zelenskyy-to-end-war-in-ukraine
https://apnews.com/article/jd-vance-zelenskyy-ukraine-854b13006d0601223e5ac8d955b08a8b
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-some-people-follow-authoritarian-leaders-and-the-key-to-stopping-it/
https://www.psypost.org/perceived-social-breakdown-fuels-desire-for-authoritarian-leaders-new-psychology-study-shows/
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/your-personal-renaissance/202009/why-do-people-follow-authoritarian-leaders