Another former Trump aide agrees: He has ‘authoritarian tendencies’IE 11 is not supported. 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Yes.”By Steve BenenWhen Elizabeth Neumann was a Trump-appointed official at the Department of Homeland Security, she served as assistant secretary for threat prevention and security policy. Her focus, as her title suggested, was focused on identifying possible domestic security threats.What Neumann discovered, however, was that it was effectively impossible to convince Donald Trump to take seriously certain threats — such as those posed by violent right-wing extremists — no matter how often he was told. The then-president, the DHS official came to realize, simply wouldn’t listen.With this in mind, Neumann, who voted for Trump in 2016, publicly endorsed Joe Biden in August 2020.Four years later, the former senior Homeland Security official — professionally trained to identify threats — is still trying to alert the public to the dangers her former boss poses. Politico reported:A former senior Homeland Security official in the Trump administration said Wednesday that the former president has ‘authoritarian tendencies’ and ‘does not operate by the rule of law’ — echoing a denunciation by his former chief of staff and other senior figures. Elizabeth Neumann, who served as deputy chief of staff of the Department of Homeland Security and assistant secretary for threat prevention and security policy, said she agreed with former Marine Gen. John Kelly’s explosive assessment that Donald Trump is not fit for the office.“Does he have authoritarian tendencies? Yes,” Neumann told Politico. “Is he kind of leaning towards that ultra-nationalism component? Absolutely.”The vast majority of Americans are probably unfamiliar with the former DHS official and her work. I don’t seriously expect a significant number of voters to decide suddenly to cast a vote for Kamala Harris because of Neumann’s assessment, no matter how accurate it is.But the broader point is that Neumann has an extraordinary amount of company. Her criticisms come on the heels of similar — in some cases, even more brutal — condemnations from former Defense Secretary Mark Esper, former White House chief of staff John Kelly, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs Mark Milley, former Defense Secretary James Mattis and former White House national security advisor John Bolton.They were all appointed by Trump. They’re all now denouncing him in striking ways.Even Trump’s own former vice president refuses to support the Republican’s bid for a second term.It’s tough to say what might sway on-the-fence voters, but there’s a reason the Harris campaign is leaning into messaging about the opposition Trump is facing from former leading officials from his own administration.This post updates our related earlier coverage.Steve BenenSteve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MSNBC political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."Previous PostTrump’s former Pentagon chief suggests Trump has earned ‘fascist’ labelNext PostThursday’s Campaign Round-Up, 10.24.24: WSJ poll shows Trump inching past HarrisLatest PostYoungkin fails to stand up to Trump as federal cuts threaten thousands in VirginiaAboutContactHelpCareersMSNBC StoreAD ChoicesPrivacy PolicyDo Not Sell My Personal InformationCA NoticeTerms of Service (Updated JULY 7, 2023)MSNBC SitemapClosed CaptioningAdvertiseJoin the MSNBC Community© 2025 MSNBC Cable, L.L.C.NBC News LogoMSNBC LogoToday Logo
The 14 points of Fascism:


Powerful and Continuing Nationalism

Fascist regimes tend to make constant use of patriotic mottos, slogans, symbols, songs, and other paraphernalia. Flags are seen everywhere, as are flag symbols on clothing and in public displays.

Disdain for the Recognition of Human Rights

Because of fear of enemies and the need for security, the people in fascist regimes are persuaded that human rights can be ignored in certain cases because of “need.” The people tend to look the other way or even approve of torture, summary executions, assassinations, long incarcerations of prisoners, etc.

Identification of Enemies/Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause

The people are rallied into a unifying patriotic frenzy over the need to eliminate a perceived common threat or foe: racial, ethnic or religious minorities; liberals; communists; socialists, terrorists, “illegal” immigrants etc.

Supremacy of the Military

Even when there are widespread domestic problems, the military is given a disproportionate amount of government funding, and the domestic agenda is neglected. Soldiers and military service are glamorized.

Rampant Sexism

The governments of fascist nations tend to be almost exclusively male-dominated. Under fascist regimes, traditional gender roles are made more rigid. Opposition to abortion is high, as is homophobia and anti-gay legislation and national policy.

Controlled Mass Media

Sometimes the media is directly controlled by the government, but in other cases, the media is indirectly controlled by government regulation, or sympathetic media spokespeople and executives. Censorship, especially in war time, is very common.

Obsession with National Security

Fear is used as a motivational tool by the government over the masses. Immigration and border security are common talking points when enforcing this fear.

Religion and Government are Intertwined

Governments in fascist nations tend to use the most common religion in the nation as a tool to manipulate public opinion. Religious rhetoric and terminology is common from government leaders, even when the major tenets of the religion are diametrically opposed to the government’s policies or actions.

Corporate Power is Protected

The industrial and business aristocracy of a fascist nation often are the ones who put the government leaders into power, creating a mutually beneficial business/government relationship and power elite.

Labor Power is Suppressed

Because the organizing power of labor is the only real threat to a fascist government, labor unions are either eliminated entirely, or are severely suppressed.

Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts

Fascist nations tend to promote and tolerate open hostility to higher education, and academia. It is not uncommon for professors and other academics to be censored or even arrested. Free expression in the arts is openly attacked, and governments often refuse to fund the arts.

Obsession with Crime and Punishment

Under fascist regimes, the police are given almost limitless power to enforce laws. The people are often willing to overlook police abuses and even forego civil liberties in the name of patriotism. There is often a national police force with virtually unlimited power in fascist nations.

Rampant Cronyism and Corruption

Fascist regimes almost always are governed by groups of friends and associates who appoint each other to government positions and use governmental power and authority to protect their friends from accountability. It is not uncommon in fascist regimes for national resources and even treasures to be appropriated or even outright stolen by government leaders.

Fraudulent Elections

Sometimes elections in fascist nations are a complete sham. Other times elections are manipulated by smear campaigns against or even assassination of opposition candidates, use of legislation to control voting numbers or political district boundaries, and manipulation of the media. Fascist nations also typically use their judiciaries to manipulate or control elections.


Maga comfortably embodies 12 of these 14 characteristics