Mark Bray: "My fear is that Trump wants to start a war to impose an authoritarian regime."

BarcelonaAmerican historian Mark Bray, specializing in human rights, terrorism and radicalism, and author ofAntifa. The Antifascist Manual (Captain Swing) decided to leave the United States with his family last October. He had become a target of the far right, sponsored by Donald Trump. He now lives in Madrid and This weekend he is participating in Enfoquem, the solutions forum organized by the ARA.

How did he decide to leave the United States?

— I wrote my book Antifa In 2017, I received a lot of threats at that time, but nothing after that. Everything changed after the murder of Charlie Kirk in September 2025. A few days later, Trump issued an executive order declaring Antifa a terrorist organization.Although it is neither an organization nor terrorist. And at the end of September some influencers People from the far right, like Jack Posobiec and Andy Ngo, started attacking me, saying I was a terrorist professor and things like that. And that's when I started receiving threats, some of them death threats, saying things like, "I'm going to kill you in front of your students." And a few days later, in early October, the far-right organization Turning Point USA asked Rodgers University to fire me. Then Fox News wrote a story about it. AntifaOn October 4th, I received more threats, some with my home address. In a country with so many guns, I didn't feel safe at home with my family. I spoke with my wife and we decided to flee the country. Two days after we left, someone published my address on X with information about my family.

Do you consider yourself a political exile?

— It's difficult to say because, obviously, in an authoritarian context where there are strong ties between the Trump administration, far-right groups, and networks ofinfluencersThe threats were the product of a political intimidation campaign. But then again, it's not the same as Germany in 1936, or Pinochet's Chile. I haven't been charged, there's no danger... So, I say I'm a "baby" exile. There's something of the historical phenomenon, but it's not the same.

Do you think it will be possible to return to the United States?

— I hope so. I've spoken with a lawyer about buying a new house and with my university about safety measures. I'd like to be able to return this summer and resume in-person classes in September. But if there's a major crisis, a war, I don't know, everything could change.

What does the declaration of Antifa as a terrorist organization mean to you?

— The word antifa It designates a specific trend in the history of antifascism that emerged after World War II in Europe among radical groups in different neighborhoods, groups of punksTo resist the far right. It's not an organization, it's a policy. I don't know if Trump and his people don't see it that way or if it's simply useful to their authoritarian project. In the United States, you can't designate a domestic group as a terrorist organization, only foreign groups. So the executive order isn't legally sound, but it has obviously influenced the perspectives of society, judges, and the police. But I'm not a member of any group. antifa And I never have been. I'm an activist; I've participated in anti-war movements, but not in anti-fascism. I've been attacked because I've given money to an organization called The International Antifascist Defense Fund, which provides legal defense for antifascist activists. But it's not illegal to do this.

But as I was saying, the situation has worsened. as shown by the death of Renee GoodThe White House blames the "radical left" and defends the ICE agent who killed her, but the video is clear. Is American society so polarized that it can interpret a video in opposing ways?

— Yes, roughly 30% of society He'll believe whatever Trump says, no matter what he says.There's also the perspective that if someone disobeys a police officer, the officer can do whatever they want, even though that's not legally the case. And the idea that Renee Good was a terrorist and that her goal was to kill ICE agents—after seeing the video, it's ridiculous to think that. But for Trump, everyone who's left-wing is a terrorist, including me... Maduro is a terrorist, everyone's a terrorist. He uses that word like it's some kind of boogeyman, just to scare people.

Is this manipulation of reality, even lying, characteristic of fascism?

— Yes. In fascism, rationality, hypocrisy, and contradictions don't matter; this is too extreme a perspective. bourgeois From the left. The strongmen of fascism do whatever they want without considering the contradictions. But there's also the element of the leader's cult of personality: if the dictator says something, his followers are obligated to believe it. But generally, in authoritarian regimes, it's important to promote the idea that truth and falsehood only matter from the perspective of the party, the state, or the leader. But most people in the United States don't think that way, and if we have real elections in the future, the Republican Party will lose.

Do you think Trump's popularity is declining?

— Yes, it's obvious, and the prime example is the economy, which is worse now than before; the tariffs have been a failure. And only about 30% will support Trump no matter what; the rest, not so much.

Trump has established white supremacy in the White House, but what real support do these anti-diversity policies or those of ICE have?

— Following the civil rights movement in the 1960s, politicians from both parties agreed that racism is wrong and equality is good. By 1970, only those who were explicitly Nazis complained about racial equality. But Trump and his allies have changed this. Now, Nazi perspectives, including their slogans, graphics, and references to their books, are present in MAGA rhetoric. The Department of the Interior in X makes explicit references to Nazi songs. But the percentage of the population that holds this perspective is small.

It also has to do with the rise of the Great Replacement theory. Have you seen it in Europe now that you live here?

— Yes. The history of the far right in all Western countries, in Europe, in the United States, is more or less the same: they believe that the imperial past was magnificent and that they are now weaker because of feminists, the left, and especially immigration. The Great Replacement theory, originally French, is important in the United States. In the 1960s, the KKK and Nazi groups also focused on Jews, who played a strong role in the anti-racist movement. They said that Jews wanted to destroy the white population through immigration and miscegenation. For decades, this theory was exclusively a Nazi theory with no relevance to society. But now Trump has said that it is true, that it is reality. This perspective is strong now; it is something more mainstream.

But how does this anti-Semitic rhetoric from MAGA fit with Trump's support for Israel and the repression of pro-Palestinian protests on universities?

— It's insane that, in the name of fighting antisemitism, Trump is promoting an antisemitic conspiracy. Support for Israel from conservatives in the United States stems, first, from geopolitical considerations in the Middle East, and second, from Christian Zionism, which is very strong in the United States. Many Christians believe that when the end of the world comes and Jesus Christ returns to Earth, a Jewish state in Israel is necessary, and all Jews will either convert to Christianity or go to hell. Christian Zionism is antisemitic. I am an anti-Zionist Jew, and I have been involved in organizing for Palestine at my university. In the U.S., the idea is promoted that being a Zionist and being Jewish are the same thing, which is not true. And because of this, it is more dangerous to be Jewish in the United States or any other country.

Some people compare Trump to Hitler.

— Trump has fascist characteristics. But what he fundamentally wants is power, money, fame. I'm not sure he cares about political objectives. In his second term, he's surrounded himself with people like Stephen Miller and Pete Hegseth, who are explicitly fascists. And now his administration is following a fascist plan. But it's obvious that Hitler had a political passion, he wrote. Mein Kampf In prison. It's hard to imagine Trump in prison, without supporters, without money, writing a manifesto and organizing a movement. He's a different kind of leader. He has been a product of the rise of the far right over the last ten years, while at the same time promoting the far right. There is a reciprocity between the far right and Trump, who is more of a symbol.

Do you think the United States is heading towards a fascist state?

— During Trump's first term, I said that a crisis or a major emergency was necessary to frighten society and justify an authoritarian response. We don't have that situation yet, but with what happened in Minneapolis, it's not hard to imagine a situation where ICE agents start shooting indiscriminately, there's a strong reaction from society, more soldiers on the streets, and everything gets worse. Or even If Greenland is attacked and there is a response from EuropeThere are many possible sources of this crisis, and it could start at any moment. It's possible the Democrats will try to remove Trump from the presidency if they win the next election. And because of that fear, perhaps Trump wants to start a war or something like that to have an excuse to do more authoritarian things. This is my biggest fear.

Do you see a civil war as possible in the United States?

— It's not impossible. It's more possible than in the past. I did a speaking tour in Spain in 2019 for the publication of my book in Spanish, and many people asked me about a civil war, and I said, "Oh no, it's not possible, our system is too stable." But now… it could happen.

And the attack on Venezuela, the threat to Greenland, etc., is it due to an interest in resources or to an expansionist policy of the US?

— There are many reasons. There's the attempt to project a strong leader. It's an openly macho, even fascist, policy to say that "in this world, the strongest country can do whatever it wants." There's also the fact that for many years, American politicians have been saying that Maduro is bad. Obviously, there's also the oil. And there's also a domestic political factor. His popularity isn't very high. There's the Epstein scandal, and he wants to shift the conversation to Greenland, Venezuela, or whatever.

Do you think he will attempt a third term?

— Perhaps, but he's very old. That's why the probability is lower. But I think we'll see an attempt to continue the MAGA policy with JD Vance or perhaps his son, Donald Trump Jr., who are the two most popular candidates among Republican voters. It would be like a king with his prince. But we'll see.