America’s Far Right Isn’t Authoritarian. It’s Anti-Statist.
America’s Far Right Isn’t Authoritarian. It’s Anti-Statist.To counter a threat we must first define it. Donald Trump’s inflammatory rhetoric and volatile behavior are distorting our ability to see far-right extremism for what it really is: virulent anti-statism. To the commentators and pundits who consider Trump an authoritarian, last Wednesday’s attack on the Capitol confirmed him as a dictator-in-waiting and proved that far-right extremism is, at its core, reactionary and authoritarian. But this narrative ascribes to Trump far more influence than he actually wields, and it falls apart upon even a cursory review of the varied goals of far-right groups. Second Amendment groups, for example, want to erect a permanent bulwark against gun control. Christian groups are pushing back agains...