Naomi Klein says hard right is bunkering down over end times fascism

Naomi Klein used a studio interview to set out the argument of her latest book, End Times Fascism, describing it as a study of how the hard right is responding to an era of planetary-scale crises. The interview was broadcast against the backdrop of the Labour Party conference, where delegates were hearing a message of hope, but the discussion turned to darker forecasts about global politics, climate change, artificial intelligence and the rise of the far right.

Klein said the term end times fascism describes a politics that accepts or welcomes breakdown rather than tackling its causes. The hard right, she said, often rejects the word fascism as abusive, but some figures on the fringes are starting to embrace it. The response she identifies is bunkering down: protecting the nation state, building private bunkers, seeking refuge in the digital cloud by merging with AI, or, for religious fundamentalists, treating floods and fires as signs of the end times and proof that they are among the saved. She added that bunkering can be presented by its supporters as controlling borders and deciding who comes in and who goes out.

Asked why Trump's second term appears more radical than his first, Klein pointed to what she called a level of sadism, repression and public bragging about cruelty. She cited the gamification of mass deportations and videos that invite people to enjoy hunting down immigrants. She argued that the world has become more dangerously volatile, referring to the summer in Europe and the threat from AI. She said some technology leaders speak casually about risks that could wipe out humanity, and she linked this to a Silicon Valley narrative that casts extreme inequality as proof of specialness and intelligence. Klein called this idea the wealth rapture, and said it reflects a belief that wealth will protect and save the rich.

She also referred to Elon Musk's claim that work will become optional in the future, alongside warnings about summoning a demon who could kill everyone. She compared that casual attitude to end times theology, which can welcome floods and fires as signs that the end is near, the Messiah is coming and the chosen will rise to a gated city in the sky.

The book ends on a more hopeful note, she said, because ordinary people can still vote. She argued that most MAGA voters did not back Trump for religious end times politics, expanding wars, higher prices or technology that eliminates jobs. They wanted lower grocery prices and good jobs, and she described the result as a betrayal and a major opportunity for Democrats. She said some Democrats are trying to seize that opening, while others are walking a middle line that she doubts will work.

Klein cited Zohran Mamdani, who she said won 10% of Trump voters in New York by taking back the cost of living issue with promises to freeze rent and provide free, fast buses. She noted that 10% can be enough to swing a US election. Asked whether the next president could be a Democratic socialist, she said she hoped so, and warned that hugging the centre is unlikely to work in volatile times when people want change. The interview also trailed a podcast episode featuring Klein and Anushka Asthana.