Benito Mussolini is the first poster child of Fascism.  While he is often overlooked due to his more famous frenemy up north in Nazi Germany, Mussolini’s Italy was the first fascist state in the world, serving as the example for the many others that would follow in the early to mid-20th century.  Benito was definitely an odd and charismatic fellow, as his fiery speeches of Italian nationalism lured not only his fellow World War I veterans, but an entire nation that was growing weary of its disconnected democracy.  This allowed him to take power by force in the 1922 March on Rome.  Mussolini had inspired his followers so much to the point where he did not have to be there when the march started, only rolling into Rome by train once the march was over to take his spot as Italy’s leader.  After four years at the top of Italy’s government, an Irish woman named Violet Gibson would hand the now world-famous fascist leader his first assassination attempt, as she would aim for his head with a pistol in the Roman Piazza del Campidoglio.  Unfortunately for the entire world, as she shot, Mussolini turned his head to a group of students who had begun to sing for him in his honor, causing the bullet to whizz by his face and barely graze his nose.  When she tried to take a second shot at the dictator, her gun jammed, and the window of possibility had closed.  I am not gonna lie, even I, a man who often loves to boast of his historic knowledge, had never heard about this assassination until I watched a video by one of my favorite YouTubers, Ordinary Things, a fantastic video all about the Mussolini that I cannot recommend enough.  As I was watching this video, an insane feeling of resemblance began to fill my head as I realized just how similar this event was to an event in the US: the attempted assassination of Donald Trump in 2024.

Let me clarify that I am not saying that I believe either of these assassination attempts was coordinated by the victim.  However, what I will say is that the way that these two leaders publicized their attempts after the fact was completely coordinated to manipulate a populist public.  

Imagery is one of the most important aspects of a fascist regime.  Strong imagery promoting the rule of the authoritarian government allows the masses to be swept by populism and nationalism.  From the giant red and white paintings depicting heroic scenes in Soviet Russia to Saddam Hussein’s huge statue in Baghdad, imagery has always been a favored method of maintaining power.  It inspires people to believe that the authoritarian leadership they are under is the only right way for the future.  A cornerstone of this maintenance of image is that an authoritarian regime will always make themselves feel as though they are being attacked.  This allows the government to rally its people to its side and appear as though they are strong against a common enemy.  An event like an assassination attempt is perfect to propel this crucial image of persistence that authoritarianism thrives on.  

Once that bullet ripped through Benito’s nose, there was no doubt as to what would happen next.  Mussolini’s bandaged nose became a symbol of early fascist Italy.  The people began to see him as a strong and determined leader.  After all, if he could defeat the threats of fate and the gun, he must be the right ruler for Italy, right?  This imagery propelled Mussolini to the larger-than-life super stardom he was able to achieve, becoming the face of all of Italy’s triumphs.  

When we compare this to the way that an assassination attempt on US President Trump was handled, the fact that there are not very many differences is rather upsetting.  This attempt, where a bullet grazed the president on the ear at the end of his speech, took place on July 13, a couple of months before election day.  Trump took his assassination attempt and did not discuss the fact that these kinds of events should not happen in the true and peaceful democratic USA we all believe in, but instead used it to glorify himself.  In a speech a week later, Trump made claims that he was only present due to “Almighty God”, trying to inspire a spirit of holiness around him and his campaign in front of what was undoubtedly a very religious and conservative crowd (NPR).  Painting the Trump campaign as if it is under God’s care is a clear tactic of trying to get the masses to buy into an “us against them” narrative of good and evil, something a populist campaign like Trump’s would capitalize greatly on.  As the months passed from the campaign, images of Trump’s assassination attempt were flaunted by his base and supporters as an image of strength and persistence over a violent enemy that did not even really exist.  This worked very well, and Trump won the election by a wide margin.  Violent imagery being praised in a democratic election is not a positive for the society that is voting.  Instead of peace and acceptance of the transition of power that is so crucial to democracy, this kind of “us against them” mentality promotes unrest and resistance to the democratic system.  The kind of thing that would, in a seemingly outlandish example at first glance, cause a violent riot mob to wreak havoc at the over 200-year-old doorstep of American Democracy.  We can only be thankful that the mob that showed up at the door of our democracy was not nearly as successful as the one that broke down the doors of Italy’s over one hundred years ago, but as a nation, we cannot let ourselves be engulfed by polarization and populism by violent imagery for the good of our liberty.  

Benito’s nose showed how a violent image can carry a violent regime to populist power.  Donald’s ear is our chance to learn and make sure it does not happen again.