This is a great post. I think you’re absolutely right. Trumpism is Fascism, but the American version. Trump is smart in that he knows which buttons to push and which nerves to hit. He knows that demonizing Jews and Catholics wouldn’t fly here. But he knows that demonizing people of color and Muslims does. He knows that there’s a perception that “real America” isn’t the cities and urban centers, but the rural areas. He knows there’s great fear and paranoia about taxes, the media, socialism, and gun regulation. So he stays on message, keeping his base angry.
So yes, I think it was either Tim Snyder or Robert Paxton who taught that Fascism is most effective when it is modified to fit the signs, symbols, of needs to every particular country. The swastica doesn’t work here. But demonizing people of color and wrapping ourselves with the Bible and flag certainly does.