Letter from William Streck

Fascism Has Momentum

Germany did not have a good year in 1933. The United States of America is not having a good year in 2025. Both years share a theme of social and political unrest during which leaders who stoked economic and social dissatisfaction came to power. Germany fell under the authoritarian rule of Adolf Hitler, while Donald Trump assumed the presidency in 2025.

Hitler stoked economic anger by scapegoating groups like communists, fascists and Jews. Similarly, Trump has targeted immigrants, transgender individuals, DEI, liberals, and essentially anyone who opposes him. Once in power, Hitler purged his political opponents, a tactic Trump mirrors by using state power to target his foes.

In 1933, a law was passed in Germany that allowed Hitler to enact laws without parliamentary approval. In 2025, Trump is protected by the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that a sitting president enjoys total immunity for actions related to official duties.

Hitler suspended constitutional rights and consolidated his power. Trump has taken actions that bypass legal protections—ignoring immigration laws, circumventing the courts, extorting law firms and colleges, and targeting individuals with executive actions.

Hitler’s propaganda machine advanced his agenda and silenced opposition. Trump’s “Ministry of Misinformation” spreads falsehoods, denies facts and attacks dissent.

Fascism is defined as an authoritarian and ultranationalist ideology, characterized by a dictatorial leader and suppression of dissent. The parallels cannot be ignored. The difference is one of degree not direction—and the direction in America is toward an authoritarian state.

William Streck
Cooperstown