09/17/2025
As requested, here is a list of prominent Democrats and Democratic-aligned figures who have publicly used the word "fascist," most often in reference to Donald Trump or his supporters. This list is not exhaustive, as the term has become a widely used political insult and academic subject across the political spectrum. [1, 2, 3, 4]
Government officials and political candidates
• Kamala Harris: As Vice President, Harris repeatedly used the term in October 2024, explicitly calling Donald Trump a "fascist" during a CNN town hall. She echoed and amplified the comments of retired General John F. Kelly.
• Tim Walz: The governor of Minnesota and 2024 Democratic vice-presidential nominee has referred to Donald Trump as "fascist to his core".
• Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: The U.S. Representative from New York stated in 2024 that the Trump administration is "fascist".
• Jamie Raskin: The U.S. Representative from Maryland has described the modern Republican party as "a fascist political party".
• Dan Goldman: The U.S. Representative from New York has called Trump a "fascist dictator".
• Delia Ramirez: The U.S. Representative from Illinois referred to the Trump administration as a "fascist regime".
• Ayanna Pressley: The U.S. Representative from Massachusetts has called Donald Trump a "FASCIST!".
• Beto O'Rourke: The former U.S. Representative and Texas politician has used the word "fascists" when discussing political opponents.
• J.B. Pritzker: The governor of Illinois has been accused by Republican opponents of comparing them to N***s and fascists, based on comments he made about resisting the Trump administration.
• Joe Biden: In a 2022 speech, the President said the philosophy of the "MAGA movement" was "almost like semi-fascism," though he did not use the more direct term "fascist". [1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9]
Academic and media commentators
• Robert O. Paxton: A historian and expert on fascism at Columbia University, Paxton initially hesitated to apply the term to Trump but reversed his position after the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, stating that Trump is a fascist.
• Ed Kilgore: The Democratic journalist and writer has compared the "Trump-appeasing GOP" to European fascists from the interwar period.
• PBS News Hour commentators: In an October 2024 segment, commentators discussed how some of Donald Trump's rhetoric "compares to historic fascist language".
• NPR commentators: In a segment from October 2024, NPR noted that many on the left have used the term "fascist" against conservative and right-wing leaders like Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush. [3, 4, 10, 11, 12]
Other figures
• General Mark Milley: The former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who served under Trump, was quoted in a book as saying Trump is "fascist to the core." This comment was later echoed and amplified by Democrats.
• General John F. Kelly: Trump's former chief of staff was quoted in an October 2024 interview stating that Trump "certainly falls into the general definition of fascist," and this statement was subsequently lauded by Vice President Harris. [1, 13, 14, 15]
AI responses may include mistakes.
[1] https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/17/us/politics/harris-trump-fascism.html[2] https://gop.com/rapid-response/charlie-kirks-shooter-echoed-the-same-fascist-smears-democrats-have-for-years/[3] https://www.npr.org/2024/10/29/nx-s1-5164488/harris-trump-fascist-explained[4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fascist_(insult)[5] https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/fascism-term-hurled-donald-trump/story?id=115101505[6] https://gop.com/rapid-response/charlie-kirks-shooter-echoed-the-same-fascist-smears-democrats-have-for-years[7] https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/chicago-politics/gop-lawmaker-files-articles-of-impeachment-against-pritzker-over-hateful-rhetoric/3824495/[8] https://whyy.org/articles/election-fascism-trump/[9] https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/25/politics/nikki-haley-fact-check-2024[10] https://www.bu.edu/articles/2022/are-trump-republicans-fascists/[11] https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/how-trumps-rhetoric-compares-to-historic-fascist-language[12] https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/how-trumps-rhetoric-compares-to-historic-fascist-language[13] https://www.npr.org/2024/10/29/nx-s1-5164488/harris-trump-fascist-explained[14] https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/john-kelly-swinging-trump/story?id=115061457[15] https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/17/us/politics/harris-trump-fascism.html
