Not North Korea, not Russia, not Nazi Germany – but troubling all the same
While listening to an American podcast this morning, I was struck by a reporter’s provocative remark: he said he’s unsure whether he’s living in North Korea, Russia, or Nazi Germany. This bold statement was clearly intended to underscore what the journalist perceives as deeply concerning trends in the current U.S. political landscape under Trump and his movement.
It’s important to clarify that this is a rhetorical flourish, not a literal comparison. The journalist isn’t suggesting the U.S. has become a totalitarian regime with concentration camps or widespread political purges. Rather, he’s highlighting parallels to certain tactics, mechanisms, and rhetorical strategies employed by authoritarian regimes that he believes are emerging in the U.S.
Below is a breakdown of the comparisons that might prompt such a statement, organised by the regimes referenced.
Comparisons to North Korea
This comparison almost exclusively revolves around the cult of personality and the demand for absolute loyalty.
Cult of Personality: North Korea is the global extreme example of building a political system around the deification of a single leader. Critics see parallels in the way Donald Trump demands personal loyalty, not just to the country or the Constitution, but to himself. This is evident in his public firing of officials who were deemed insufficiently loyal and his praise for those who exhibit unwavering personal fealty.
Attacks on “Fake News”: Trump’s relentless attacks on the media as the “enemy of the people” and the purveyor of “fake news” are seen as an attempt to discredit any independent source of information, making himself the only reliable source of truth. This is a classic authoritarian tactic, reminiscent of how state-controlled media in North Korea serves only to glorify the leader and attack critics.
Loyalty Pledges and Sycophancy: The requirement for public displays of admiration (e.g., the infamous cabinet meetings where officials praised the president one by one) echoes the performative loyalty required in totalitarian states.
Comparisons to Russia (under Putin)
This comparison focuses on the erosion of democratic institutions, corruption, and the use of misinformation.
Attacks on the Electoral Process: The sustained and baseless effort to delegitimise the 2020 election results is seen as a direct attack on the foundational institution of democracy: the peaceful transfer of power. This mirrors tactics used by Putin’s Russia, where elections are largely shams designed to give a veneer of legitimacy to an authoritarian hold on power.
Weaponising the Justice System: The perception that Trump seeks to use the Department of Justice to investigate and punish his political enemies (and protect his friends) is a hallmark of “banana republic” and Putin-style governance, where the law is a tool of the powerful rather than a constraint on them.
Embrace of Corruption: The blurring of lines between personal financial gain and public office, along with the pardoning of politically aligned allies convicted of lying to Congress, leads critics to draw parallels to the kleptocratic nature of Putin’s Russia.
Use of Propaganda and Disinformation: The sophisticated use of media ecosystems (e.g., certain supportive TV networks, social media) to create alternative narratives and realities that are disconnected from verifiable facts is a well-documented strategy of modern authoritarian regimes, including Russia’s.
Comparisons to Nazi Germany
This is the most charged and historically sensitive comparison. It is not about the Holocaust or the full extent of Nazi evil, which is unparalleled. Rather, it points to early-stage tactics used to gain and consolidate power in the 1930s.
Scapegoating and Demagoguery: The Nazis rose to power by scapegoating specific minority groups (Jews, gypsies, LGBTQ+ people) for Germany’s problems. Critics see a parallel in rhetoric that demonises immigrants, Muslims, and other minorities as existential threats to the nation’s character and safety.
Nationalist Sloganeering: Slogans like “America First” and “Make America Great Again” are seen as direct parallels to nationalist and nostalgic slogans used by fascist movements, which always hearken back to a mythical, pure, and powerful past that must be reclaimed.
The “Big Lie”: Adolf Hitler wrote in Mein Kampf that a lie, if audacious enough and repeated constantly, would be believed by the masses. Critics argue that the relentless repetition of the “Big Lie” that the 2020 election was stolen is a direct application of this tactic to undermine faith in democracy itself.
Violence and Intimidation: The use of militant supporters (e.g., the Proud Boys being told to “stand back and stand by“) and the incitement of a mob to storm the Capitol on January 6 are seen as steps toward normalising political violence against opponents, a core feature of fascist movements.
Important Counterpoints and Context
It is essential to balance this perspective:
Hyperbole and Godwin’s Law: Godwin’s Law is an internet adage that states that as an online discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazis approaches 100%. Such comparisons are often used for shock value and can shut down nuanced debate.
Free Press and Speech: While under attack, a free and vigorous press continues to operate and criticise the government in ways unimaginable in actual authoritarian states.
In summary, the journalist is expressing a deep fear that the tactical playbook of authoritarianism – the cult of personality, the attacks on independent institutions (courts, media, elections), the use of the “big lie,” the scapegoating of minorities, and the normalisation of political violence – is being implemented in the U.S. The statement is an alarm bell, warning that the country is moving down a dangerous path whose endpoint, if unchecked, could resemble these historical regimes.
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Trump’s USA is fully up there with North Korea, Russia and Nazi Germany – and worse. In those countries, totalitarianism grew out of national privation after wars that left them demoralised and depleted.
What has led the USA down this path?
Good question, Lyndal – not that any excuse will justify genocide and war crimes, so what drives USA to condone and conduct such foreign policy, how many countries since WW2 has it already wrecked and installed awaiting new dictators, and those, it’s allies it coerces and bullies? Is it just pure hunger for power, profit and greed or something still more sinister we’ve yet to fathom?
And this the nation, the world lets hold the UN as hostage to its manifest desire.
It has always been so with political America. It started with delusion, and continued with delusion, corruption and propaganda. It has always been saturated by blood in its self-righteous quest for supremacy. Its people sought escape, and maybe for some, safe-haven, so they set up fortresses and bastilles and armed themselves mightily in accordance with their created God.
And trapped by their own fears and desires, and fooled by notions of immortality, increasingly lashed out whilst their corrupted, irrational and febrile superstructure, accelerated by haste, crumbles early to dust.