What was really insightful about Michiko Kakutani’s review of HITLER was that even Hitler wasn’t really a fascist in 1930. He was a tiny little troll of little consequence … but it took the widespread breakdown of democratic structures to weaponize the little shit and turn the Nazis into the greatest evil of human history.

So, no, Trump isn’t Hitler. And Trump isn’t really a great fascist dictator. But he’s a symptom of a much great decay, and that decay could metastasize if Americans aren’t more careful. Civilization and progress doesn’t happen by accident; it’s a deliberate choice that people fight to realize every day.