'Threat to glory of the dictator': Fascism expert explains why Trump wants to 'smash' US 'crown jewel'

Back in March, Jason Stanley — a university professor/author known for his expertise on the history of fascism — made a major announcement: He was leaving the United States and moving to Canada. Stanley was a professor at Yale University in Connecticut at the time, but he accepted a job offer from the University of Toronto's Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy and no longer lives in the U.S.

Stanley, author of the 2018 book, "How Fascism Works: The Politics of Us and Them," wasn't shy about discussing his reasons for moving to Canada: He believes the U.S. is "tilting towards a fascist dictatorship" during President Donald Trump's second term.

Stanley doesn't regret the move. Speaking from his new home, Toronto, during a Wednesday morning, May 28 appearance on MSNBC, Stanley warned that Trump's attacks on universities are going from bad to worse.

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When MSNBC's Ana Cabrera asked Stanley if Harvard University's decision to fight back against the Trump Administration has "been effective," he responded, "Well, it's not a matter of being effective. It's the only possible approach. They're going to smash the universities. All dictators smash universities."

Cabrera noted that "the alternative is capitulation" and "agreeing to the terms that" the Trump Administration "lays out," and Stanley implied that caving in would make Harvard comparable to a university in Russia under President Vladimir Putin.

Stanley told Cabrera, "Russia has universities, I suppose. Harvard could be a university in Russia. But, you know, I mean, they're going to try to stuff universities with Trump supporters. And the main thing is they want to show that they own the universities — that the main authority is the dictator. And when you have these great universities — the United States had the greatest university system in the world — that's a threat to the authority of the dictator. And that's a threat to the glory of the dictator, right? I mean, when people around the world think of the United States, they think of Harvard, not Trump."

When Cabrera noted that the Trump Administration "has made such a show of attacking international students," Stanley weighed in on possible motivations.

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The American expatriate/Toronto resident told Cabrera, "Everyone in the world comes to the United States to study at our great universities. There's no other country like it. They're the crown jewel, really, of this country. So if you want to crush that aspect of America — if you want to crush that aspect of our greatness — you target that. You say: We're no longer a place where you can come for freedom. And people come to America for freedom."

Stanley continued, "So, my parents came from fascism in Europe to freedom. Think about what you're saying when you're saying that international students must bend their knees to American greatness. That's not freedom…. And what we're supposed to replace it with is saluting the flag and Donald Trump…. If you understand how authoritarianism works and how dictatorships work, there are no backstops. We're heading into a situation where the universities, the democratic institutions, are in existential peril."

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Watch the full video below or at this link.