“He is a fascist!” These are the accusations thrown against President Donald Trump both inside and outside of Washington D.C. when addressing his politics. But what exactly is fascism, and why is it such an insult against our president?
In short, fascism is a political system centered around ultra-nationalism and identity politics. Fascist political parties rally behind a charismatic leader, a leader who expands state influence to interfere into every aspect of citizens’ daily lives, keeping them in line with fear tactics and propaganda.
Effectively, fascists are racist, dictatorial and invasive according to the official political doctrine, so you may have an understanding of the graveness of the allegations brought against Trump. Fascism as a political idea, and the atrocities committed in its name are the indelible stains on human history; stains that mankind has vowed never to allow the opportunity to rise again. Therefore, people who prophesize that Trump is the modern-day Adolf Hitler are not only ignorant of history, but basic political philosophy as well. 
The politics of Trump and his administration do not parallel Hitler or Benito Mussolini’s rise to power in the 1930s. The power of the state and how a leader responds to it is central in understanding fascism as a whole, and why these extremely powerful figures are allowed to rise.
According to the United States’ Holocaust Memorial Museum’s website, Hitler’s central objective was to “consolidate a radical Nazi dictatorship completely subordinate to Hitler’s personal will.” Hitler forcibly took control in order to work his fascist agenda, something Trump would never do because of the American system of checks and balances.
Once in power, Hitler increased state authority over every aspect of civilian life, and increasing state power is an aspect of government Trump is actively against. To fuel the Nazi war machine, Hitler seized control of the means of production. Trump, however, advocated for tax cuts and government deregulation of business in 2017. While Hitler drastically increased his own power, Trump decreased his, and this somehow makes him fascist? 
How a fascist treats race is essential in understanding what the label actually entails, and once again, Trump does not fit the criteria of traditional fascism. Hitler championed the superiority of the Aryan race, and all others were somehow lesser than human. Critics of Trump twist his tough stance on illegal immigration to brand him as a racist.
The president has always advocated for an increase in border security, especially on the Southern border, but he is certainly not anti-immigration. Samuel Chamberlain of Fox News reports Trump saying, “We want people to come into our country, but they have to come into our country legally and through merit.” Respect for American law is essential to building a citizenship that is proud in all our country can do. Coming to this country is a privilege, awarded to the most deserving and the most valuable people who can be integrated into American society.
The label ‘American’ refers to a culture more so than it does a particular race, so Trump wanting to hold the people of the U.S. to a higher standard is good for our country holistically. Comparing strong borders and typical “Trumpist” rhetoric to build the wall is a far cry from the murder factories in Germany and Poland that exterminated Jews, Russians, Catholics, homosexuals and the mentally ill by the millions for their differences from the Aryan ideal. 
In conclusion, Trump is not a fascist, and to call him such is a disservice to history and a smear campaign against the duly-elected leader of our country. These attacks are meant to discredit him as the rightfully elected president, and intend undermining his political victories.
This ignorance cannot go on any longer. The assault against his character and ideology is rooted in pure denial of his presidency and legitimacy in the White House.
The stigmatization of Trump’s administration has resulted in the country becoming more polarized than ever. Ironically, those who seek to undermine the president’s legitimacy fall more in line with the classic definition of fascism than Trump ever could.