If you look like a fascist, sound like a fascist, and act like a fascist, well...

Conservatives complaining about being called fascists should stop acting like fascists.

If Republicans want people to stop calling them fascists, they need to stop acting like fascists. Using the government to pressure television networks to cancel critics is fascist. Sending masked men into neighborhoods, work places, and schools to snatch people and put them into camps is something fascists do. So is firing career public servants and replacing them with lesser qualified loyalists. Ordering the military to patrol the streets of major cities sure looks fascist. Using the government to enrich political leaders and their allies is another fascist activity.

They also sound like fascists. Attorney General Pam Bondi said the Justice Department would “go after” people using hate speech. Renaming the Department of Defense, the Department of War sure sounds fascist. Donald Trump regularly threatens to sic the government on his political opponents. That sounds pretty fascist.

Trump has been using “emergencies” to circumvent the Constitution and civil rights. He has a subservient Congress that has given up its power of oversight of the executive branch. He appears to have a compliant Supreme Court that refuses to put a check on his Constitutional overreach. All of that looks fascist.

Conservatives will deny it, of course. As I’ve often said, racists never think they’re racists, either. People who unjustly blame others for their problems can’t see themselves as the rest of the world sees them. They lack both self-awareness and empathy. Both Charlie Kirk and Elon Musk believe empathy is a weakness. That’s a pretty fascist rationalization.

Mainstream conservatives will fall in line as fascist behavior gets normalized. They have followed a pattern going back to the first Trump administration. First, they mock progressives and liberals for overreacting to whatever Trump is threatening. Remember the debate over whether to take him figuratively or literally?

Then, when he does what he says he’s going to do, they express shock and dismay, often leveling sharp criticisms. Remember the aftermath of January 6? Senator Mitch McConnell said Trump was “practically and morally responsible” for the attack. Lindsey Graham blamed Trump. Ted Cruz called it a “violent terrorist attack.” And conservative commentator Erick Erickson called it “an insurrection.”

Next, they walk back their criticism. Today, Graham defends Trump against all comers on almost all actions. Erickson mocks people who use January 6 as an example of the right’s violent tendencies. Within weeks, conservatives are downplaying or defending whatever fascist actions the Trump administration has taken.

Finally, they normalized the behavior. When ICE detains American citizens or Trump orders troops into Memphis or his family makes billions of dollars in a crypto scam while the government sells previously banned chips to the U.A.E., the actions barely get notice. We’ve watched the steady progression of the GOP from a democratic party to an authoritarian one for eight years.

The Republicans of 2016 would not recognize the Republicans of 2025. They denied Trump would ever do the things he’s doing and they denied they would support what they are supporting today. The GOP has left democracy, accountability, and norms behind. Power is all that matters now and leveraging it to repress the political influence and speech of their opponents is a key part of their governing philosophy.

So, if you look like a fascist, talk like a fascist, and act like a fascist, well, you might be a fascist.