By WILL WEISSERT and LAURIE KELLMAN

WASHINGTON (AP) – Vice President Kamala Harris was asked this week if she thought Donald Trump was a fascist and she said, “Yes, I do.” She then treated him the same way herself, saying voters don’t want “a president of the United States who admires dictators and is a fascist.”

But what exactly is a fascist? And does the meaning of the word change when viewed through a historical or political lens – especially so close to the end of a tense presidential race?

Here’s a closer look:

What is fascism?

An authoritarian and ultranationalist ideology and political movement. It is often associated with the far right and characterized by a dictatorial leader who uses military force to help suppress political and civil opposition.

The two most famous fascists in history were Germany’s Nazi leader Adolf Hitler and Italian dictator Benito Mussolini. Known as Il Duce, or “the Duke,” Mussolini led the National Fascist Party, symbolized by an eagle clutching a bundle – a bundle of stalks with an ax among them.

At Mussolini’s request, in October 1922, thousands of “blackshirts” or “squadrasti” formed an armed fascist militia that marched on Rome, vowing to seize power. Hitler’s Nazis also relied on a militia, known as the “Brownshirts.” Both men ultimately imposed one-party rule and encouraged violence in the streets. They used soldiers, but also fomented civil unrest that pitted loyalists against political opponents and broader parts of everyday society.

Hitler and Mussolini censored the press and spread sophisticated propaganda. They exploited racist fears and manipulated not only their active supporters but also ordinary citizens.

Today, the term fascism has adopted a looser political definition and is often invoked as a catch-all for efforts to spread oppression and racism – as well as to denounce dictators or leaders who adopt tactics totalitarian.

It’s not just the left that has used the term, denouncing a rightward push in the United States and many parts of the world. Some conservatives decried confinements imposed during the corona virus pandemic as “fascist”.

What are other historical examples of fascism?

Hitler and Mussolini are its two biggest names, but things get murkier from there.

Is military dictator Augusto Pinochet’s 17-year iron-fisted rule in Chile admissible? What about the Indonesian strongman Suharto or the Spaniard Francisco Franco? Were the regimes of Ferenc Szálasi in Hungary and Plínio Salgado in Brazil fascist? What is the place of American neo-Nazi leader David Duke?

Indeed, critics sometimes describe modern American extremist groups – including movements that have applauded Trumplike the Proud Boys – as fascists or neo-fascists. These labels are perhaps more steeped in political ideology than obvious historical parallels.

Why is Harris calling Trump a fascist?

The vice president has long criticized Trump, calling him mentally unstable and not a true supporter or defender of the nation’s founding democratic principles.

She notes that Trump suggested that he deploy the army to target political opponents, including people he called the “enemy within.” The former president has long talked about attacking his enemies and told his supporters that it would be their “punishment”.

“It’s about the American people. He’s talking about journalists, judges, nonpartisan election officials,” Harris said Wednesday night during a CNN town hall.