We shouldn't be calling American right-wingers conservatives anymore. They've crossed over into fascism at this point.
Principles of conservatism that MAGA violates:
The violations of these conservative principles points toward fascist ideology, where government overreach, suppression of opposition, and anti-democratic values take form. No, we're not living under an early 1940s Nazi regime at this time, but I believe "conservatives" should no longer be able to brand that label, as they have beliefs more aligned with fascism.
I have publicly advocated my position (and emphatically agree with you) that specifically Trump and his supporters should not be lumped in with conservatives, but I disagree with your labeling them fascists. They're better categorized as right-populists, in my view.
Mussolini summed up fascism as 'Everything within the State, nothing outside the State, nothing against the State,' and argued it's a totalitarian ideology that encompasses every single aspect of life. Trump and MAGA have consistently argued against the DoE, have argued for a shrinking of various other federal agencies, and have now taken up supporting 2A arguments in federal courts. All three of these directly contradict a fascist agenda. Certainly some of their policy proposals toe the line, but they can also be explained as populist policy proposals.
On the other hand, they don't show a logically or internally consistent ideology either, like conservatives, progressives, classical or American liberals, or even environmentalists do. They frequently hold contradictory views on the basis of whether the specific policy is popular or largely supported - e.g. they generally argue for limited government interference in the market but then cheer on government interference in the market, a la the Intel stake. This is showing a logical inconsistency in ideology frequently found in populism, where the consistency is much more vibes based.
No counter-arguments have been posted yet.
