A new viral video by US political group MeidasTouch’s examines how ex-President Donald Trump is following “the rules of the demagogue.”
The ad shows how Trump has been guided by a tried and tested method of manipulating “weak-minded people” to his own advantage – by establishing a common enemy, telling simple stories “with no regard for the truth,” attacking democratic institutions and the media, and cultivating a cult of personality.
Footage of the ex-president is interspersed with clips of dictators from history and the current day, including Adolf Hitler, Fidel Castro and Kim Jong-un.
“We’ve seen this happen before,” says the narrator. “We can’t let it happen again.”
The video concludes with a call to reject fascism.
MeidasTouch, founded by the attorney Ben Meiselas and his two brothers, released the video online on Wednesday after House Republicans removed Rep. Liz Cheney rom GOP leadership. Cheney refused to repeat Trump’s lies about his election defeat.
On Twitter, where the video has been watched more than half a million times, the PAC said the GOP “has completed its transformation into a fascist, authoritarian death cult.”