The issue in the US is that today, one of the two major political parties is every day becoming more clearly, and more openly, fascist. Maybe they always were fascist, but before, those people hid themselves, because they knew they would be ejected from the political process if they were out in the open.

You’re absolutely correct that with or without Trump, fascism is on the rise. They’re right out in the open now, proudly, and increasing their political capital in the US because they’re fascists. Trump was the flashpoint personality around which these people found permission to openly be the fascists they always were. If it wasn’t Trump, it would have been someone else.

It’s that present-day permission to be shitheads that has spilled over from the US to other parts of the world. This is surely because of the US’ position as a world leader politically, militarily, and culturally. If the same kind of thing had happened first in, say, Canada, the world would be far more likely to look at the situation with “Canada, WTF?”