The Enemy of the People: Attacks on the Press as a Fascist Tradition

When a leader declares that journalists are “the enemy of the people,” history tells us to pay attention — and be afraid.

The Enemy of the People: Attacks on the Press as a Fascist Tradition

That phrase doesn’t belong to American democracy. It’s a hallmark of authoritarianism, used by those who fear the truth because the truth threatens their power.

Trump didn’t invent this attack, but he has perfected it for the 21st century — turning a centuries-old fascist tactic into a meme, a rally chant, and a political weapon.

The Fascist Playbook: Controlling the Narrative

Fascism has always understood one simple truth: whoever controls the story, controls the state.

In Mussolini’s Italy, newspapers that questioned Il Duce were shut down or taken over. In Nazi Germany, Goebbels’ Ministry of Propaganda turned the press into a mouthpiece for the regime, flooding citizens with patriotic lies and anti-Semitic hate. In Franco’s Spain and Pinochet’s Chile, journalists were imprisoned, tortured, or disappeared for daring to report what the government wanted hidden.