The presidential election campaign in the United States has boiled down to a brutal battle between two political groups: the Democratic Party, which is currently in power, and the Make America Great Again group, still curiously called the Republican Party.

Actually, I take that back. There was and is nothing strange about the hostile takeover of the GOP, the affectionate name of the Republican Party. The Republicans have shared the political stage with the Democrats since 1854. This duo in political life has been working together more or less civilly for around 160 years.

Notable Republican presidents include Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Ronald Reagan and many others whose policies, while not universally embraced, earned the respect of the nation.

This party is no longer recognizable. Unless one knows anything about the political earthquakes of the last nine years, it is clear that this is not a Republican-Democrat divide. I don't think anyone in America will argue that the Republican Party and its platform, its ideals, have remained the same. Even George W. Bush is said to have privately said years ago: “I am the last Republican.”

Not all Republicans allowed themselves to be taken hostage. Hundreds have spoken out strongly against Donald Trump, including his own Vice President Mike Pence and his Chief of Staff John F. Kelly. A few months ago, at a small dinner in Spetses, former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld, a lifelong Republican politician and author, told us about two groups he was instrumental in founding: the Lincoln Project and the Republicans for Harris. It was encouraging, but will it have been enough? Cleverly and, interestingly, against the advice of his campaign team, Trump is doing his utmost to warm up MAGA's base. It is repeatedly claimed that the majority of his base consists of uneducated white men. Not surprisingly, Trump declared in Nevada in April 2016, “I love the less educated!” Of course he does.

The point is that the GOP has shockingly evolved into the MAGA cult, a new form of fascism that incorporates all the old tendencies. Volumes of historical pieces can be written detailing how this happened in America. This is not the issue here, although it is not difficult to suggest some reasons why.

For one thing, FOX News, owned by Rupert Murdoch, is the most-watched cable news channel in the United States and has been the highest-rated network for eight years. Fox has repeatedly admitted to the lies he has spread, and the ties between Trump and his people are well known. The network has been repeatedly sued and has lost millions of dollars in lawsuits against the network. It embraces wild conspiracy theories and has turned millions of Americans against each other.

But part of the MAGA subscript is the pride one takes in the lawsuits against them. Their leader, Donald Trump, now wears his impeachment and his long list of civil and criminal allegations, indictments, indictments and convictions like badges of honor. The cases include everything from his business dealings in New York to the theft of classified documents to rape, assault, hush money from campaign accounts, Capitol insurrection and election interference. And more.

In an unusually clear prediction, Trump declared: “Every time they file an indictment, we’re way up in the polls. We need another impeachment to complete this election. One more indictment and this election is over. Nobody (else) even has a chance.”

The shocking thing isn't that he said it. What's shocking is that he could very well be right. But the point is: what is at risk? The platform of the fundamentalist right is like a checklist of fascist dogmas. You only need to take a look at Project 2025 to quickly see what is happening here. But in addition to the Project 2025 goals, the checklist is clear:

Nationalism/Populism: Symbols are stolen, the flag becomes a weapon, groups of people screaming “America First” show not love for the country but hatred and aggression against perceived enemies, people who look different, love differently, different books read .

The leader becomes almost a cult figure. He can do no wrong. When he is threatened, he changes the narrative to revolve around his sacrifice for his followers. Trump repeatedly declares, “I’m doing this for YOU.” (If they send me to prison, they’ll send YOU too.)

Religion and governance are linked. Evangelical churches in America are growing at an alarming rate. There is no better way to control a people, and the vast majority of these churches are, to a shocking degree, Trump supporters. They consider themselves Christians and therefore, with their growing aggression, regularly show hostility and violence towards other religions, Judaism, Islam and Hinduism.

Corporate power is protected. Political leaders need enormous financial support. CEOs and companies need laws that protect them. So they happily walk hand in hand.

Human rights are ignored and despised. Women lose reproductive rights and basic rights regarding their own bodies.

The elections are just around the corner. We voted. Mr. Trump now says that if he wins, the American public will “never have to vote again.”

Nobody understands what he means. Should we assume he does?

Tenia Christopoulos is a writer based in Washington, DC. She contributes to Kathimerini, The Washington Post, Insider Magazine, and Tatler, and is the author of “Lords of the Dance.”