At Donald Trump鈥檚 inauguration as the 47th president of the United States, tech billionaire in a gesture many interpreted as a . Musk dismissed the criticism as hyperbole. The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) downplayed the gestures as鈥� Others have connected the gestures to his subsequent statement that Yale philosophy professor said any resemblance to a Nazi salute by Musk was no accident.
鈥淗e intentionally did this,鈥� Stanley said, referring to Musk's gesture.
Stanley, the author of the new book "," argues that Musk鈥檚 actions 鈥� and the subsequent reactions 鈥� underscore a troubling dynamic in modern politics.
鈥淢y suspicion is that he鈥檚 trolling,鈥� Stanley said. 鈥淭he idea is, let鈥檚 get liberals into a kerfuffle about whether or not we鈥檙e fascists or Ku Klux Klan members or whatever, and then we can laugh at them while they flail around.鈥�
But Stanley insists such gestures are more than mere provocations.
鈥淲hen you troll with these ideologies, when you play around with this ideology in a mocking way in order to 鈥榦wn the libs,鈥� you鈥檙e also giving this ideology public attention,鈥� he explained.
This normalization, he warned, feeds into a broader pattern where fascist ideologies are deliberately smuggled into mainstream discourse, often cloaked in irony or deflection.
The fascist playbook
Stanley draws on history to identify alarming parallels between Trump鈥檚 movement and . Asked whether Trump and his allies are following a 鈥渇ascist playbook,鈥� Stanley didn鈥檛 hesitate.
鈥淥h my God, yeah,鈥� he said, pointing first to the ongoing effort to rewrite the history of Jan. 6, 2021. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e going to try to make it into a great patriotic event. I wouldn鈥檛 be surprised if down the road, they try to make it into some kind of national holiday.鈥�
Stanley also criticized the Trump administration鈥檚 attack on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.
鈥淭here鈥檚 an attempt to wipe clean the equality of Black perspectives, of LGBTQ perspectives. Any time Black people in positions of power are outspoken, they鈥檙e accused of being DEI hires,鈥� he noted. 鈥淭he claim that equality is discrimination seems to be a very major part of this administration.鈥�
Stanley added that the ongoing push to outlaw what have been labeled divisive concepts in schools 鈥� such as lessons on 鈥� further reflects fascist ambitions to control public memory.
"The redlining of mortgages happened,鈥� Stanley said. 鈥淏ut if you teach it in universities or high schools, 鈥�
Perhaps most concerning to Stanley is that education should serve as a tool for instilling patriotism.
鈥淸Trump said] the purpose of education is to make people regard that the nation is great,鈥� Stanley paraphrased. 鈥淭his is straight fascism.鈥�
Democracy on the brink
Stanley鈥檚 study of authoritarianism leaves him pessimistic about democracy鈥檚 future.
鈥淒emocracy is fleeting. It hasn鈥檛 existed long,鈥� he said. He noted that political philosophy dating back to .
鈥淚n democratic elections, authoritarian strongmen will always win,鈥� he said. 鈥淪o democracy is very fragile.鈥�
Globally, Stanley sees troubling signs. 鈥淲hat we鈥檙e seeing is a,鈥� he explained, citing fear of immigrants and LGBTQ+ citizens as common tools for rallying authoritarian support. 鈥淲e face a moment where democracy might be something in the past.鈥�
A glimmer of hope
Despite his grim analysis, Stanley sees reasons for cautious optimism. He points to the United States鈥� history of overcoming through as proof that even deeply entrenched systems of oppression can be challenged.
鈥淚f we think of Jim Crow as a fascist regime, which many do, we live in a country where we defeated fascism in a non-violent way,鈥� he said.
Stanley also highlighted Ukraine鈥檚 fight against Russian authoritarianism as an example of democratic resilience.
鈥淪ome people, depending on the spirit of their country, get sick of losing the capacity to replace leaders,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he history of the United States, to me, suggests that we鈥檙e one such country.鈥�
Ultimately, Stanley believes the future depends on collective action.
鈥淚t depends on us,鈥� he concluded.
