The 14 characteristics are:
My assessment is that Trump and his MAGA movement meets 14 out of 14.
The U.S. in the early days meets maybe three, and those are pretty iffy.
Perhaps. I've seen this list before, and some of it may apply to the U.S. at various points in the 18th, 19th, and/or 20th centuries.
Powerful and Continuing Nationalism
I would say that this would apply through much of U.S. history, with an aggressively expansionist history which would eventually go beyond our own continent and turn into global imperialism boosted by intense patriotism and gunboat diplomacy. This continued under different names during the Cold War, and even up to the present day, there's been a strong, ultra-patriotic, quasi-nationalist component to US foreign and military policies. It's been tempered and moderated somewhat - not like the days of Joe McCarthy or Nixon. But it is what it is.
Disdain for the Recognition of Human Rights
I would say that this also would apply through much of U.S. history, although there were slow and steady improvements and reforms that took place. It wasn't really until after WW2 that America's government really started to recognize human rights.
Identification of Enemies/Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause
I would say that this changed over time, depending on the circumstances. In the early days, the British and/or Monarchists were the enemy. In a way, one could say that white supremacy was contrived in order to create the same effect. In the 20th century, it may have been evident during the various Red Scares and the Cold War.
Supremacy of the Military
Hard to say if they could be considered "supreme," but the U.S. military obviously figured prominently all throughout our expansionist history, as noted in the first point. Perhaps the Civil War might be a turning point, as the U.S. started to pay more and more attention to its military capabilities in the Postbellum era as it pushed out on to the world stage. However, during WW2 and ever since, the military has gotten much more powerful and expensive.
Well, this was probably true for the entire world up until about the 1940s - or even longer in some countries. It's true that fascists and fascist governments are/were sexist, but I wouldn't see this as particularly unique to fascism.
This characteristic seems to apply only after the invention of radio, film, and television. Although thinking about it, I don't know if I can think of a time when America's media can be characterized as "controlled" in the same sense as Goebbels. I don't think the media can be controlled that way, not unless we become a completely closed-off society like North Korea.
Obsession with National Security
We've always had an obsession with national security. It was on a much smaller scale at first, but the obsession was always there.
Religion and Government are Intertwined
I suppose fascism may share some overlap with theocracy. Although we have a separation of church and state, there have been some on the religious right who still maintain the U.S. is a "Christian nation." This has been a sticky point for a long time, I think. However, I wouldn't considering this to necessarily be a distinctive characteristic of fascism, and moreover, a fascist government can exist even without religion.
Corporate Power is Protected
Well, that's definitely been the case in the U.S. for quite some time. Perhaps even more so since the Reagan era.
Labor Power is Suppressed
I think the labor movement has had its ups and downs. We've had a long history of labor suppression in this country, although admittedly, it's probably a lot better now than it was 100-150 years ago. On the other hand, many of the products and commodities we consume today don't actually come from our own country, but rather, from countries where U.S. labor laws don't apply and labor power is most definitely suppressed.
Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts
I think this may be true for certain portions of America which have a more provincial outlook on things. This even seems to be a trope or stereotype about Americans and how unsophisticated and low-brow we are compared to Europeans. Trump seems to reflect that with his ill-mannered ways and his boorishness.
Obsession with Crime and Punishment
Some states still practice capital punishment, and we have one of the highest incarceration rates in the world. In the past, it was probably a bit more ad hoc and loosey-goosey with all the lynchings and other forms of vigilante justice, as well as "hanging judges." Nowadays, at least in the past several decades, the police have become more militarized. Some of it due to the War on Drugs, but also due to skyrocketing crime rates through the 1980s and early 90s.
Rampant Cronyism and Corruption
This also can be found throughout early U.S. history, to varying degrees.
This has been kind of a touchy subject lately, although there may be a few elections in America's history which may have been questionable. It's kind of difficult to gauge, especially since only white males who owned property were allowed to vote in the early days. Then it was widened to include all white males, even those who didn't own property. After the Civil War, black males were also guaranteed the right to vote by the 15th Amendment, but the state and local governments used rather fraudulent and dishonest methods to find ways to prevent them from voting just the same. Grandfather clauses, literacy tests - things like that. That went on for quite a long time and wasn't really significantly challenged until the 50s and 60s.
While there still may be gaps, I think there's been more effort at enforcing universal suffrage in recent decades. As for how elections would be run in a MAGA world, it's hard to imagine. If Lauren Boebert were running against Marjorie Taylor Greene, then it might very well be an honest election.
