Right-wing media lashed out at President Joe Biden after he described the philosophy of “extreme” pro-Trump Republicans as “semi-fascism,” with criticism ranging from framing Biden’s comment as his “basket of deplorables” moment from the 2016 election to accusing the president of being a fascist himself.

On August 25, 2022, during a Democratic fundraising event in Maryland, Biden characterized the increasingly radical philosophy of many Trump-aligned Republicans, stating, “It’s not just Trump, it’s the entire philosophy that underpins the – I’m going to say something, it’s like semi-fascism.” Biden later added: “MAGA Republicans don’t just threaten our personal rights and economic security, they’re a threat to our very democracy. They refuse to accept the will of the people. They embrace political violence. They don’t believe in democracy.” 

Following the fundraising event, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre further clarified these comments, saying during a press conference on August 26, “You look at the definition of fascism and you think about what they’re doing in attacking our democracy, what they’re doing and taking away our freedoms, wanting to take away our rights, our voting rights – I mean, that is what that is. It is very clear.” And contrary to what some conservatives have claimed, Biden did not portray the entire Republican Party this way; he was specifically describing the “extreme MAGA philosophy.”

While there is an open debate among scholars and experts on how the term “facism” might apply to the U.S. political landscape, The Washington Post’s Ishaan Tharoor explained that comparative political scientists have previously documented “how the modern Republican Party has drifted toward the extremes of Western politics.” (Media Matters has previously demonstrated how Republican-aligned media have joined in and even encouraged this extremist embrace.) Additionally, some scholars say that Trump’s political ideology should be understood as “a brand of far-right pseudo-authoritarianism for the present.” Tharoor also referenced Jonathan Katz’s recent essay, which cited an expert on fascism, writing, “All of that scans quite neatly onto the rhetoric and atmospherics of modern-day Republicanism.”

Right-wing media responses to Biden’s comments have been varied and defensive. Fox News host Mark Levin said on his radio program that Biden is “a low life” and a “stupid, maniacal, narcissistic liar” in response to his comments. Some on Fox called the comments Biden’s “basket of deplorables” moment, referencing the 2016 Hillary Clinton presidential campaign (even though those comments were true then, and proven true later). Other right-wing media figures went much further, accusing Biden of stoking violence against his political opponents and being the true embodiment of fascism:

• Fox contributor Mollie Hemingway: Biden's comments on GOP's “semi-fascism” were “more hateful than the worst thing that Donald Trump ever said.”
• Sinclair Broadcast Group chief political correspondent Scott Thuman portrayed the remarks as a breaking of the president’s vow to unify the country and “contributing to the rhetoric” of political division.
• Fox contributor Leo Terrell said Biden’s comments have already “resulted in violence from extremists on the left.”
• Fox host and former Trump White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said Biden is “doubling down on a consistent message of hatred.”
• National Review seemingly blamed Biden’s comments for vandalism of a local Florida GOP office window.
• Fox host Jeanine Pirro claimed “this is hatred” and “this kind of rhetoric leads to violence.”
• On Fox, former Trump adviser and white nationalist Stephen Miller called Biden’s comments “projection” and said: “If you want to know what a fascist party is, it’s Joe Biden’s Democratic Party.”
• Rudy Giuliani said Democrats are “the ones acting like fascists,” while Steve Bannon chimed in: “No, Rudy, whoa, whoa, whoa, they’re not acting like fascists, they are fascists.”
• Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk said on Fox: “If they're going to escalate the language then game on. … If you're going to call us a bunch of fascists, we're not going to take that anymore. You're the fascist, Joe Biden, and there’s other words that we could use as well.”
• Gateway Pundit endorsed a right-wing Australian TV commentator arguing that Biden is fascist.
• Fox host Tucker Carlson said Biden’s comments were “essentially a declaration of war against half of the country.”