At Salon.com, Chauncey DeVega says it’s time to start labeling Donald Trump what he really is — a fascist. “Trump has revealed his core values to the world at almost every opportunity,” DeVega writes. “Yet somehow, too many Americans appear stuck on a treadmill of daily shock at his behavior. It is sad to watch. Why is any of this a surprise? Trump is a crude man. He has never been subtle in terms of sharing his values and beliefs.”

The first step toward any solution is correctly identifying the problem. DeVega points to 20 instances of Trump’s fascistic behavior:

1. He has contempt for democratic norms and procedures, and has repeated undermined them;
2. He has threatened violence against his political enemies;
3. He espouses militant nationalism;
4. He is patriarchal, hyper-masculine and misogynist;
5. He uses racism, ethnocentrism and bigotry to advance his political goals;
6. He lies compulsively in order to twist reality to his will and keep supporters enthralled;
7. He stokes a sense of racial grievance and victimhood among his voters;
8. He acts with contempt and utter disregard for the law;
9. He uses his position as president to personally enrich himself, his family and his political allies;
10. He openly admires authoritarian leaders from other countries;
11. Through voter purges and other means, he is trying to ensure a permanent Republican majority and de facto one-party state;
12. He believes in “blood and soil” racism;
13. He is trying to remove any regulations or other types of restrictions on corporations;
14. He appears to be a malignant narcissist who believes he is above the law;
15. He grants pardons to his political allies;
16. He has utter contempt for freedom of the press and the concept of “checks and balances”;
17. He views intellectuals and artists as his enemies;
18. He is trying to destroy labor unions;
19. He encourages police and other paramilitary forces to abuse racial and ethnic minorities;
20. He has been acclaimed by white supremacist and other right-wing fascist groups as their leader.

It’s past time that we accept that Republicans have put a fascist in the White House. That is the problem.

Now what?