Resolute Square

Violence is Trump's Brand

Ruth Ben-Ghiat writes: "Authoritarians conjure existential threats from an ever-expanding roster of enemies —immigrants, Jews, and leftists among them" so Trump's visit to a gun shop to admire a customized "Trump 45" Glock was inevitable.
Published:September 27, 2023
Share

Published with the generous permission of Ruth Ben-Ghiat. Read all of her outstanding writing in her Lucid newsletter.

By Ruth Ben-Ghiat

How unsurprising that former president Donald Trump showed up at a gun store in South Carolina and declared that he wanted to buy a gun, specifically, a customized "Trump 45." Glock. Since 2015, his political project has centered on cultivating extremists, radicalizing ordinary Americans, and building a civilian army to commit violence in his name.

Since the Fascist years, authoritarians have used propaganda and their personality cults to change the perception of violence among their followers. The goal is to remove hesitations about tolerating or participating in violence against one’s compatriots by presenting that violence as necessary and even morally righteous. 

To that end, authoritarians conjure existential threats from an ever-expanding roster of enemies —immigrants, Jews, and leftists among them—-and present violence as the only way to save the people from annihilation and save the nation from utter ruin. "If you don't fight like hell, you won't have a country anymore," Trump raged to the thugs assembled on Jan. 6, before he sent them off to assault the Capitol.

That terrible day made clear Trump’s endgame in cultivating as many individuals as possible and preparing them psychologically to be willing to persecute his enemies. In doing so, Trump wrote a new page of the coup playbook: if you can't get the military to cooperate with your takeover attempt, you have a civilian army at your disposal. 

On Jan. 6, that army included anti-government extremists and hate group adherents but also many ordinary people with no prior history of militancy. These "middle-aged, middle-class insurrectionists," in Robert A Pape and Kevin Ruby's words, believed Trump's lies about winning the 2020 election and justified their violence on moral and patriotic grounds.

Two years later, it is clearer than ever that inciting political violence is Trump’s political project, and his campaign appearances and events must be seen in that light. Trump is a marketer. In previous decades his work of persuasion involved getting people to buy his branded objects: Trump apartments, Trump wine, Trump steaks, Trump water, and more. Now his brand is violence, and his rallies and other events sell that violence, presenting it as the preferred way to resolve differences in society and as the only way to move history forward. The gun shop stop was merely the most obvious of these attempts to expand his corps of armed followers. 

Trump water, wine, and steaks displayed at a 2016 campaign event.

Trump examining a Glock named after him in South Carolina, Sept 24, 2023. Doug Mills, New York Times.






Trump’s greatest success has been with GOP politicians, who have made his ideals of violence into party dogma, declaring in 2022 that Jan. 6 was "legitimate political discourse” and brandishing assault rifles in campaign ads as proof of their commitment to violence. 

Even an appearance at the Iowa State Fair can be a radicalization opportunity. Rep. Matt Gaetz showed up there to be with Trump and delivered a crucial message. "We are having a great time at the fair. We love standing with you. But we know that only through force do we make any change in a corrupt town like Washington, D.C.," said Gaetz. That “but” is the point. Stumping at state fairs is politics as usual. Gaetz is saying that is no longer sufficient. Change in America will come not through democratic means —legislation, reform, elections—but through violence. Get ready, he is telling the crowd. We need you. 

Trump's 2024 campaign is making that call to violence far more explicit. The kick-offevent in Waco, TX, site of anti-government extremist violence, set the tone. So does the visit to the gun store, coming just after Trump’s suggestion that the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley, who refused to aid Trump's coup attempt, should be executed.  

"Perhaps it was always going to come to this. A MAGA hat and a gun," I wrote in 2021. "Two pathways to the heart of America, two symbols of what the country holds most dear: celebrities and their brands, and the right to bear arms. The MAGA hat draws them in, but the gun keeps them there."

Related

  • David Cross on the Intersection of Comedy and Politics
    The Lincoln Project Podcast

    The Lincoln Project Podcast

    Award-winning actor, writer, comedian, and super dad David Cross -- who we all know and love from Mr. Show, Arrested Development, his brilliant observational comedy and narrative standup shows, and Tenacious D -- joins Rick Wilson to discuss everything from growing up in Georgia to the best moments of his career thus far to folding American politics into his set. David is currently traveling the globe on his "The End of the Beginning of the End" comedy tour, continuing to record his podcast and constantly creating and writing. ・・・・・・・・・・・ Follow David Cross at @davidcross on X, stream David's newest special, WORST DADDY IN THE WORLD, at http://veeps.com/davidcross, and subscribe to his latest podcast, "Senses Working Overtime with David Cross Podcast," at http://SensesWorkingOvertime.com. You can purchase tickets for "The End of the Beginning of the End" tour on David's website at https://officialdavidcross.com/. Follow Rick Wilson at @TheRickWilson on X and subscribe to his Substack at therickwilson.substack.com. Join the fight with Lincoln Project at www.lincolnproject.us and follow us on X at @ProjectLincoln. If you'd like to help us continue this critical work, visit https://action.lincolnproject.us/helplp to make a difference. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
    February 18, 2025
  • Tariffs, Tantrums, and Trade Wars with Edward Fishman
    The Enemies List

    Rick Wilson's The Enemies List

    Is America’s economic power a weapon, or a ticking time bomb? In this episode Rick is joined by Edward Fishman, author of Choke Points: American Power in the Age of Economic Warfare. They dive into the rise of economic warfare as the primary battleground for global powers, exploring how tariffs, sanctions, and export controls have reshaped international relations. Fishman discusses the risks of Trump's aggressive trade policies, the potential fallout of economic isolationism, and the unintended consequences of a fractured global economy. Edward's book, Choke Points: American Power in the Age of Economic Warfare, available for pre-order now.
    February 17, 2025
  • Trump DOJ Accused of Extorting NYC Mayor Adams with Dismissed Charges for ICE Cooperation
    U.S. Atty. Sassoon’s resignation exposes the vulnerability of our justice system, but will institutions and the public demand accountability before democracy’s foundations erode further?
    February 14, 2025
  • Punching Up with Maya May with special guest Tim Whitaker

    Punching Up with Maya May

    Pete Hegseth. Russell Vought. White Christian Nationalism has found its way to the halls of power, and it’s darker than we imagined. They’re coming after Obergefell. They want to repeal the 19th amendment. They want to take access to power from women, people of color, the LGBTQ community, and place it in the hands of - you guessed it - white Christian men. Don’t believe it? Tim Whitaker has seen it all firsthand. He is the founder of The New Evangelicals, a growing community dedicated to rethinking and reforming evangelical Christianity. He says that while the white Christian nationalists have a hold on our government and designs on a dystopian America, we’ve still got a shot. But it’s going to take all of us.
    February 13, 2025
  • Rethinking the Democratic Playbook
    The Enemies List

    Rick Wilson's The Enemies List

    Can Democrats win back rural and working-class voters before it’s too late? In this episode Rick Wilson sits down with Adam Frisch, former congressional candidate from Colorado, to discuss the state of the Democratic Party and its challenges in connecting with rural and working-class voters. Frisch shares insights from his campaign against Lauren Boebert, emphasizing the importance of dignity, economic messaging, and breaking through the Democratic Party’s institutional mindset. He also critiques the party’s communication strategies and highlights the need for candidate-led campaigns. Together, they explore the impact of Trump’s policies, the role of soft power, and the looming economic consequences that could shift voter sentiment in the coming months.
    February 12, 2025