“If it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, and acts like a duck, it’s a duck”
– a common expression

On August 13, 2025, The Guardian published this opinion essay by author Moustafa Bayoumi, “Trump’s Washington DC takeover is straight out of a fascist playbook.”

Bayoumi starts by writing: “key chapter in the fascist playbook has always been to convince the public that it is living in such a state of mortal danger and unbridled chaos that the only chance of survival is to cede individual rights to the determined will of the Dear Leader.”

Trump clearly manufactured a crisis with sending National Guard troops to Washington D.C. and authorizing a federal takeover of the city on August 12th. He claimed he was cracking down on ‘violent crime and homelessness.’

However, according to FBI Crime Data Explorer stats, “Homicide rates in D.C. have generally declined since the 1990s.” In addition, Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser responded that “Violent crime in DC is at its lowest level in 30 years.”

On August 18th, the podcast On with Kara Swisher interviewed Jason Stanley, author of How Fascism Works, to ask him, “Is Donald Trump a Fascist?” The podcast posted 12-minute video of this conversation “Why Trump is a fascist.” Professor Stanley thinks Donald Trump fits the fascist definition because he is “declaring emergencies (constantly),” such the federal takeover of Washington D.C, which he thinks fits the strategy of fascists.

Kara Swisher’s interview with Jason Stanley inspired me to create and post this Facebook meme on August 20th:

I received little to no reaction on my social media (Facebook, Instagram, and BlueSky) when I posted that meme. On Wednesday, August 27th, I decided I should contact a White House correspondent to see if they would answer my question: ‘When will a White House Correspondent ask Donald Trump directly: “Are you a fascist?”

Unfortunately, I did not know any White House journalists or how to contact them. I had a stroke of luck when I posted my lasted blog, “My Top 5 Tips to Restore Our Democracy,” on Bluesky on that Wednesday afternoon. Immediately after I shared it on that social media platform, I noticed this BlueSky post ‪@contrariannews.org‬, “(White House Correspondent) April Ryan wants to hear from you! Call in with your questions and comments, and she’ll read them LIVE on The Tea, Thursdays at 5pm ET. 📞 202-240-8617”‬

Within minutes, I called that number and left voice message. I thanked April for her hard work as a journalist and basically read my meme to ask: ‘Why won’t a White House Journalist ask Donald Trump: “Are you a fascist?”’

I planned to watch The Tea when it was live streamed on YouTube on Thursday, August 28th at 5 pm ET. However, I spent all day creating my own YouTube video, “My Top 5 Tips to Restore Our Democracy.” Thursday evening, I clicked on the August 28th YouTube video episode of The Tea to check with April Ryan to see if she had answered my question. I had no idea if she would respond. Maybe she would have received thousands of voice messages with more compelling questions than mine. I had a feeling though that she might answer my question on the air.

I listened to April’s interviews with president of the Chicago Teachers Union Stacy Davis Gates and former Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter. April primarily asked them about how Trump’s federal takeover of Washington D.C. impacted our democracy. After these interviews concluded one hour into the livestream (1:00:29), April said, “Before we go, I think we have a message from someone who wants to speak. Let us hear them.”

To my delight, my entire voice message then played live. April pleased and had a big smile when I complimented her hard work as a reporter and a White House correspondent. She laughed at the audacity of my question inquiring if a reporter would ask Trump if he is a fascist.

Due to the threat of copyright infringement, I can’t post a video clip of April’s response. She took a few minutes to give a thoughtful response to my question. She replied,

“That was so kind, and I am glad you asked that question. Let me say this. A lot of the people who go into that room are journalists. But a lot of those people are also whose who are loyal to this administration. There are journalists, commentators, and opinion people. I am not allowed in there because I am being retaliated against. But, you know, the problem is if someone does ask that question, they might not get back in. And that’s what’s happening with a lot of this. We’re not hearing those hard-hitting questions anymore of (Press Secretary) Karoline Leavitt or the President on a continual basis. There’s definitively retribution. You don’t have to ask (former U.S. National Security Advisor) John Bolton (The FBI raided his home on August 22nd). It’s real.

But, do we need to ask now? For real? Or, do we see it and believe it? Because what’s the old saying: ‘If it looks like a duck, sounds like a duck, waddles like a duck, and tastes like a duck, it’s a duck.’

But, it is a more nuanced situation than just whether you ask it or not. If we ask it, what is it going to prove? Because you judge a person by their actions, not just what they say. So the actions may prove that. That’s where we are at now because during the first administration we were like, ‘Well, is he or isn’t he? I don’t know.’ In the second administration, I think we know. I believe we know. I am about 99% sure that we know. And with that said, we are going to overcome someday.”

I really appreciated the time and thoughtfulness that April gave my question. It was a shame that I could not have been in the same room with April to have a conversation about this. Yes, I agree with her that we already know the answer that Trump is a fascist. He gave us plenty of evidence with his actions over the past 10 years. His incitement of the January 6th insurrection when he lost a free and fair election is all the information that we need.

If I had a live chat with April, I would have acknowledged all her points as fair and logical. At the same time, I would have replied, “Why ask the President any question if we know his response?”

My understanding is that the White House Press asks the President a question to get his answer on the record on a particular topic. Even more, the White House Correspondents know that American people want answers from the President on a specific subject, such as ‘Is Donald Trump trying to hide the Jeffrey Epstein files?’

Of course, Donald Trump is going to say, ‘No, I am not hiding the Epstein files.’ The issue of Trump’s involvement with Jeffrey Esptein’s sex trafficking of underage women still seems murky and unanswered. This is why we have a White House Press to hold the President of the United States accountable when he does not want to answer inconvenient questions.

Donald Trump’s actions in his second administration looks like it is checking all the boxes of the fascist warning signs, such as an “Obsession with crime and punishment.”

Indeed, Illinois Governor J.D. Pritzker, held a press event on August 25th where he spoke “very plainly” about “ringing an alarm” that “What President Trump is doing is unprecedented and unwarranted. It is illegal. It is unconstitutional. It is un-American.” This was regarded to reports that Donald Trump had plans to deploy the military to Chicago.

To the local and national press covering this press conference, Governor Pritzker did not mince words “To the members of the press who are assembled here today, and listening across the country, I am asking for your courage to tell it like it is.

This is not a time to pretend here that there are two sides to this story. This is not a time to fall back into the reflexive crouch that I so often see, where the authoritarian creep by this administration is ignored in favor of some horse race piece on who will be helped politically by the president’s actions.”

To his fellow governors, Pritzker warned that any consideration to pull “your National Guards from their duties at home to come into my state against the wishes of its elected representatives and its people, you would be failing your constituents and your country. Cooperation and coordination between our states is vital to the fabric of our nation and it benefits us all. Any action undercutting that and violating the sacred sovereignty of our state to cater to the ego of a dictator will be responded to.”

Governor Pritzker gave a perfect example of calling out Trump directly as a dictator and speaking truth to power. This is the action that is needed for our times right now. It is ringing the alarm bell to call Donald Trump an authoritarian, a dictator, and a fascist. Furthermore, it is vital to say it right to his face, especially for a White House Correspondent. Yes, even if the White House would banish you from ever asking Donald Trump a question again.

Yes, we need to ask Donald Trump the question, “Are you a fascist?” although we already know the answer. It’s time we stop acting like this is normal times. Donald Trump and enablers will not choose to let up on their quest for total power. We must confront them, find ways to restrict them, and diminish their fascist control over our country.

As former Vice President Al Gore remarked for decades and on April 21, 2025, “We have to deal with the democracy crisis in order to solve the climate crisis.”

As I shared my story many times in my blog, I saw climate change working as a park ranger working in the national parks. I then became a climate organizer. However, we cannot solve the climate crisis if we don’t have a democracy.

The largest influencer trying to destroy our American democracy and block climate action over the last 10 years in Donald Trump. For a livable planet and nation, we must call Donald Trump what he is: a fascist. Furthermore, it’s time to put the spotlight on him to directly to ask him “Are you a fascist?”, even if we already have the answer.