A Fascist in my Family Tree
A Fascist in my Family Tree
By Joseph P. Ludovici
November 2025
Since President Trump took office in January of this year, Democrats have become fond of calling him and MAGA Republican’s fascist. To state my biases at the outset of this article, I will say that I am a Republican, but I do not identify as a MAGA republican though I have voted for President Trump 3 consecutive times. I always perceived myself as a moderate Republican, what I thought was a Reagan Republican. I was not able to vote when Reagan was elected in 1980, but I realized even back then that he had won by a significant percentage for a presidential election in 1980. I like a winner, and I did vote for him in my first presidential election in 1984. I learned a valuable lesson 1992 when I voted for the independent Ross Perot because of his economic policy, and President Clinton was elected by only 43% of the popular vote. I voted in Florida (famous for its hanging chad) for “W” in 2000 and 2004, and for the Republican candidates running against Obama in ’08 and ’12.
In my book Why I Am Who I Am, A Product of the American Dream available on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/Why-Who-Product-American-Dream/dp/1966866143/ref=sr_1_1?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.rpJdAUvYL7jUnm0f27aUOw.RgeZ2R9Elfx4w2ibymqcPwWYU7uOUQy5EQmIK6nBOrc&dib_tag=se&keywords=why+i+am+ludovici&qid=1761254960&s=apparel&sr=1-1 I share the story of my Italian grandmother Evalina Paone born in 1896. Evalina was the youngest of nine children, six girls and three boys of Benedetto Paone. Benedetto’s boys were Stefano (1880), Adamo (1888) and Filippo (1891). Before Benedetto’s death in 1906 construction was begun on what the locals still call the “colosseo” in Fiugni. It was to be an even grander house for the Paone family in Fiugni than the one previously built. I was told by Benedetta Di Mario, a woman born in Fiugni in 1933, that Stefano had arranged for the townspeople to assist with putting on of the roof of the house after the walls had been completed. He had planned for a big party and bought 36 cod fish (bacala in Italian) in from the coast for the festivities. Benedetta told me that at the party, or soon thereafter, the brothers had a big argument. It must have been very harsh because soon after in 1903 Adamo emigrated to the United States and two years later Filippo did the same. They both settled in Philadelphia where many people from the Abruzzo region of Italy settled including my Nonno 15 years later. The high walls with arched windows of the “roofless” colosseo still stand in Fiugni today.
Fiugni and the surrounding villages that made up the “frazione” of Cagnano di Amiterno, consisted of sustenance farmers. Benedetto Paone was the richest man in Fiugni. Benedetto owned over 6,000 sheep and sheep were as good as gold in the mountains of Abruzzo at the turn of the 19th century. Sheep provided milk, for making Pecorino Romano cheese, and wool for clothing and warmth. I think sheep are the best example of a recyclable commodity there is. When Benedetto died in 1906, as was the custom in a Italy at the time, his entire estate passed to his eldest son Stefano. My Nonna was just 10 years old when her father died and Stefano became responsible for her and her other sisters who were not yet married. At twenty-six Stefano inherited his father’s wealth, and I assume a “heardload” of sheep. The story told by my Nonno and dad was that Stefano never worked and led the life of an elite. There is a photo of Stefano jumping his horse over a hedgerow of bushes with his attendant standing by. You can tell Stefano rose well above the others in this tiny village which at its height had 1,500 souls.
When my Nonno returned to Italy from America in 1927 Stefano was a Mussolini fascist. In fact, he was the appointed the representative of Mussolini in the “frazione” or community of villages in Abruzzo, Italy. Sometime after Mussolini’s March to Rome in 1922, Stefano was appointed “Podesta” by Mussolini’s Minister of the Interior to replace the duly elected mayor of the community. As podesta Stefano was the civilian authority in Cagnano di Amiterno. Abruzzo was well known as a fascist stronghold. We hear a lot about fascist today, but Stefano was an OG, a dyed in the wool, true black shirt (as opposed to Hitler’s Brown Shirts) Mussolini Fascist. With wealth and political power, Stefano was a force to be reckoned with.
I am not certain when, but it was likely before my Nonno came to America in 1920, that he may have expressed his designs on my Nonna. By then he was twenty-five and she was twenty-four, certainly of an appropriate age for marriage. But something stood in the way. I presume it was money and stature. Unfortunately, Nonno came from “the other side of the tracks”. Not literally of course because there was no train going through Fiugni then or ever. The Ludovici were very poor and literally lived below where the Paone’s lived up on the hill to the west as you enter Fiugni. My Nonno left Fiugni when he was 15 years old to go to Rome because he did not want to be a farmer. After fighting in WWI, he went to America in 1920, but he must have stayed in contact with my Nonna. I wish I had some of those letters they must have written to one another, because my Nonna was a very patient woman. From the time of Benedetto’s death when my Nonna was ten until she was thirty-three, she lived in the family house in Fiugni with the BP over the arched doorway with her unwed brother Stefano and certainly handled the chores associated with running the house: preparing and serving his food, washing and folding his laundry, and keeping the house spotless if her later life was any indication of her housekeeping skills. I am not saying she did this begrudgingly because I think she genuinely loved her brother.
When Nonno returned to Fiugni in 1928 to speak to Stefano to ask for Nonna’s hand in marriage, the situation got very tense. The story is that Nonno reached into his pocket and threw money at Stefano saying, “is this enough for you now”. Alluding to earlier times when he had no wealth and no stature. Nonno had worked in America for 7 years as a skilled plasterer and even worked on the Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables, Florida, just outside of Miami. Nonno’s Petition for Naturalization and his Declaration of Intention in 1926 made him a US citizen and afforded him a US Passport when he returned to Italy for my Nonna. Interestingly, his Petition for Naturalization and Notice of Intention gave his name as Guiseppe Ludovici but when he signed the documents, he signed it “Joseph” Ludovici, not Guiseppe. He had to swear his allegiance to the United States of America and denounce any allegiances to the King of Italy, Victor Emanuel III. He obviously was an American in his heart.
Stefano refused! But why did Stefano refuse to grant permission for my Nonno to marry my Nonna? Certainty eludes me, but a more likely than not scenario exists. With the financial reason gone, why would the Podesta, the civilian authority responsible for granting civil marriage certificates in 1928, Stefano Paone, not issue a civil marriage certificate? I searched the 1928 marriage book in Cagnano di Amiterno, there was plenty of certificates signed by Stefano Paone, but not one for my grandparents. I believe the reason Stefano refused was because of the politics of the two men. We have established the politics of Stefano, but what were Guiseppe’s nay Joseph’s political thoughts. He was now an American citizen and the Ludovicis say it was common knowledge that he and his bride were going to return to America. In fact I was told by Nonno’s niece Caterina Di Loreto, that my grandparents had to elope to get married. This proved not to be the case as I will explain later.
A little more context of Fascist Italy in the 1928. In 1922 Mussolini “Marched on Rome” and was named Prime Minister by King Victor Emanuelle III, to avoid civil war, bloodshed and communism. With Mussolini’s political power the King became a figure head for the government. By 1925 Mussolini had consolidated authoritarian power into a one-party, totalitarian state with no remaining democratic institutions. “Il Duce” had been born. However, early in life Mussolini had been a newspaper editor and rose to power in the Italian Socialist party. By 1910 he identified as an “authoritarian communist”. While shifting his position from anti-war at the onset of WWI, to pro-war at its conclusion, Mussolini rejected the socialist tenant of egalitarianism and adopted a strong nationalist tone. Due to these changes, Mussolini was expelled from the Socialist Party. Despite the Italians fighting on the side of the allies and with defeat of Germany and the Austrian/Hungarian Empire, Italy believed they were “cheated” by the Peace Treaty of Versailles that ended WWI. Mussolini fomented this strong “Italy First” nationalist sentiment and transformed it into a Nationalist/Egalitarian (meaning a more equal view of all people) and eventually coined the term Fascist from the Italian word “fascio” meaning bundle. Mussolini and his followers were staunch nationalist (Italy First), the Black Shirts established totalitarian control, and the violent suppression of any opposition. And most importantly the idea of State (government) over individual freedom.
So when Joseph and Stefano were speaking in the Fall of 1928, Stefano was established as a hardened member of the Fascist party, an Italian Ultra Nationalist, and Nonno was an Americano believing in the ideas of individual freedom, liberty and capitalism. I think Stefano knew Nonno’s politics through his decision to start being known as Joseph and if their discussions led to politics, over what was certainly a glass of wine before things got heated, confirmed this for Stefano. Even though Nonno and Nonna do not have a civil marriage certificate they did not elope. I found the Church marriage certificate of Joseph and Evelina Ludovici dated October 15, 1928, in the marriage record book of Chiesa Santa Maria della Concezione in the very capable possession of Father Vito in Cagnano di Amiterno. Adding to the story is that someone, I am not sure who, wanted to legitimize their Church Marriage Certificate further by having the archbishop’s stamp put on the certificate in 1932. It is remarkable to me that my family’s history is woven into the world’s history of the early 20th Century in this very small village in the mountains of Central Italy.
I read Airman Winton K. Sexton’s book, Backroads to Freedom, with amazement that the little village of Fiugni and a different Paone, Amalio had played such an important role in Sexton making it from his leap off a German Prisoner train in northern Italy back to the front lines and eventually to Rome where he was rescued from the Vatican by the Allies as they continued their push north. Amalio Paone is not directly related to Benedetto Paone, and I write a lot about the Paone Families that I learned about during my time in Italy in 2023. While Mussolini was the founder and leader of the Italian Fascist movement, his arrest and death in 1943 was not the end of Fascism in Italy. There is an excellent show on Netflix (in Italian with English subtitles that explores the history between the Fascists and Communist in Italy in the 20th century called My Brilliant Friend by chronicling the lifelong friendship between two girls from Napoli post WWII.
I imagine that 1943 was a tough time for Stefano. When I met my Nonna’s 89-year-old niece Yolanda Rocchi in 2023, her son Sante took me to see Stefano’s tomb which Yolanda’s mother Gilda and her husband Ettore Marimpietre had Stefano placed in when he died 1953. His headstone read: “Man of exemplary virtues, lived for the good of his own people”. I think this was perhaps an effort to cleanse the slate upon his death. Yolanda told me that she remembers meeting my grandparents when they visited their home in January of 1953 where Stefano lived before his death in August. I think whatever issues my Nonno had with Stefano were long forgiven by then and I certainly have no ill will towards him.
So this brings me back to the recent use of the term fascist for President Trump and MAGA Republicans. Labels are easy to give but how are they defined and does that individual deserve that label. I view politics on a spectrum. Marxist/Communism on the left and Fascist/Ultra Nationalism on the right. In between are all the other “isms” and some others that are not an “ism”: Marxism, communism, socialism, democratic socialism, leftist, Whigs, parliamentarianism, Democratic / Republican, Conservatives, Tories, right wing, populism, nationalism, fascism, Nazi. This is certainly not a comprehensive list and ironically the Communism of Stalin’s Russians and the Fascism of Mussolini relied on primarily the same principle. These bitter enemies during WWII rose to power by being heavy-handed dictators that silenced by death any criticism or pollical dissent. There have been numerous governments of many countries in both Europe and around the world labeled “fascist” since Mussolini. Most were short-lived except Generalissimo Fransico Franco’s of Spain, “il Caudillo” the undisputed nationalist leader ruled with an iron fist from 1936-1975, 39 years.
So who are the people protesting “No Kings” in 2025 and what are they protesting. On June 18, 2025, was the first No Kings Day, also known as No Dictators Day, and No Tyrants Day. These protests were in response to Presidents Trump’s return to office following a landslide popular vote and Electoral College win. President Trump swept all the “swing” states which few people had predicted. This protest coincided with a celebration of the US Army’s 250th anniversary and a full military parade that is not the custom in the United States and those that protested harkened back to the goose-stepping military parades of Mussolini in the late 1930s. But perhaps what rubbed the so many folks wrong was that the Army’s anniversary and the parade coincided with President Trump’s birthday. The protest was organized largely by the 50501 Movement and Move On two progressive grassroots movements. Move On has been around since 1998 and has been funded previously by large donations from George Soros, a noted Globalist and Democratic Party supporter. The term emerged in the last 50 years and an example is the European Union which centralized each nation in Europe into one “common” monetary unit known as the Euro. Globalists are the antithesis of Nationalism.
No Kings Day 2.0 was held on October 18, 2025. This was a somewhat larger event, claiming 7 million participants whereas the June/July events were estimated to be less than 5 million. 50501 and Move On were involved again but the organizers list was expanded to include most liberal based organizations from the ACLU to American Federation of Teachers. This protest coincided with the Government Shutdown on October 1, 2025, in which almost 700,000 government employees were sent home (furloughed). The stated purpose of the protest was an objection to the policies instituted by President Trump since he assumed office in January 2025. President Trumps main campaign promises were to secure the boarder and deport millions of illegal immigrants, end the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, and reform the trade imbalance by placing tariffs on goods imported to the US from foreign countries. Unlike many of the protests/riots that occurred over George Floyd’s death (Black Lives Matter), Portland (CHOP), LA California (ICE Raids), and College Campus Protest (Free Palestine), the NKD 2.0 protest remained largely peaceful but more importantly unlike Mussolini’s Fascist Government, Trumps government did not round up the protestors and have them summarily executed.
Admittedly, Trump is pro-America. MAGA (Make America Great Again and America First) are the lynchpins of Trump’s governance and his appeal. But this is the only element of the three that characterized Mussolini Fascist. Protests have been allowed to happen, elections have continued to occur, and Americans are not being shot and killed by government agents unless those agents are threatened and deadly force is necessary. Yes, ICE is executing the very difficult task of taking illegal immigrants off the streets and detaining them and deporting them. Since Trump took office, 400,000 illegal immigrants have been deported and it is estimated that another 1.6 million self-deported, meaning they left voluntarily which allows them to return through legal channels. As with most police activities, when suspects resist the police, reasonable force is permitted by the constitution to effect the arrest. Yes, these agents are wearing masks, because many agents have been doxed, the practice of publicly revealing who they are, where they live, and most importantly where their families are. This has led to threats against the agents and their families. Yes, they are in riot gear, armed with M-4s and wear Kevlar vests. Yes, they shoot tear gas and rubber bullets to control riotous protests. Officer safety is important, because many of the detainees have past or active criminal records.
I support the efforts of ICE and the Boarder Patrol to locate, detain and deport illegal immigrants especially the 5-10 million that came into the US under the Biden “open boarder” policy from 2021-24. I fully support legal immigration into this country. My grandparents immigrated to this country in the 1920s. They followed the rules and came here legally. They denounced their country of origin pledged allegiance to the United States of America, learned English, and became citizens and proud Americans. This is what should be required today. The idea that large groups of immigrants are protesting against the United States and profess hatred for the America should be told to leave the country. This is not an expression of freedom of speech; this is a call to violence against our country and against the values this country was built on. It is no different than the “rioters” who overtook the capital on January 6th and who have been prosecuted and imprisoned. If these people were entrapped by law enforcement to commit their crimes, they should be freed and exonerated of their crimes.
I support increasing legal immigrant quotas once the current deportations are complete. I support fining businesses that employ illegal immigrants. Unfortunately the Congress has failed to pass a comprehensive immigration reform bill since 1996 which streamlines the application process, timely deports those illegals which are not entitled to asylum, and effectively manage the influx of illegal immigrants across the southern border with Mexico. Securing the boarder and minimizing the number of illegal crossings on the southern boarder has been drastically improved and nearly eliminated by the Trump Administration in the last 10 months, proving it can be done. Yes, it requires guys and gals with guns to accomplish it but I voted for a secure border.
As for ending wars. It has proven far more difficult that President Trump promised, but there has been some success. A fragile/delicate cease fire has held between Israel and Hamas for nearly a month, and all living hostages held by Hamas and all, but three deceased hostages held by Hamas have been returned to Israel. President Trump has tried repeatedly to bring peace to Ukraine but has so far been unsuccessful at getting a cease fire. I think Trumps efforts personally and his administration’s efforts cannot be questioned. There have also been several other long-lasting conflicts that have been resolved. I fully support the effort to end conflict and wars, but I am pessimistic that any one person, or nation can accomplish that. For as long as man has lived, there have been conflicts and ultimately wars. Yes, the lethality (nuclear bombs) of war has changed the game. Those ultimate weapons have only been used once in war, and that threat has kept in-check and WWIII has been avoided. All conflicts have been kept to regional ones, but they have not eliminated nor will they.
Make America Great Again and America First, are largely slogans related to the economic health of our country. I was a history major in college not an economist. Tariffs, placing a tax on imported goods, raises the prices of those goods to consumers (the American People). We are a consumer society, and we do not like it when prices go up. President Trump has characterized this a temporary pain. Inflation, the rise in the price of goods, is not unique to the levy of tariffs. In 1970’s due to the increase in the price of oil, the United States suffered record inflation of 14%. We just emerged from Covid-19 where inflation reached 9%. Today inflation is calculated at 3%. Certainly not pre-covid rates of 1.8% but not the calamity anticipated from Trumps Tariffs.
If the Supreme Court does not overturn Trump’s power to unilaterally impose or threaten to impose tariffs, will be his greatest tool for balancing the trade deficits with other countries and to compel NATO members to avoid financing Putin’s war in Ukraine. Oil is Putin’s checking account, and by threatening tariffs Trump has successfully reduced the number of buyers for that commodity. By increasing at- home production as opposed to shutting it off as the Biden Administration did in 2021, Trump has leveraged or energy costs, which is a driving factor of inflation, and brought the price of gasoline down from $4.20 to $3.20 according to statistics. Today in my county gas prices are $2.69, substantially lower than the average price. I have noticed that Trump threatens to raise tariffs, extends the threat perhaps several times, and under that threat negotiates a new trade deal with that country which results in a net benefit to the US. Is Trump being somewhat of a bully in these negotiations, YES! Is he being effective, YES!
So while I do not agree with President Trump’s all the time, I think he is doing what he thinks is best for this country and is doing what the majority of people in this country elected him to do. I believe he does have a mandate and he is doing the things he promised at lightning speed because he learned in his last term that if the Democrats win back the House, the day after the new Congress is sworn in, I predict they will revert back their failed practice of charging Trump with Impeachment and impede any Trump policy they can. I think the 7 million people who marched on October 18th did so for one single reason, they hate Trump. The LGBTQ+ protestor standing next to the Free Palestine protestor is comical in my opinion (their blowup unicorn costumes made it difficult for me to consider them a party who wants to have a serious policy debate). If these two groups were protesting in pre-October 7th Gaza, the LGBTQ+ protestors would not have made it home for dinner.
While I have never purchased a MAGA hat or shirt, never flown a Trump flag, never even put a Trump sign in my yard prior to an election, I think his policies are in the best interest of America and arguing that upsets a lot of friends and family members. I accept that result and respect their right to disagree with me. But calling Trump a Fascist or worse, does not comport with Mussolini’s Fascism which I have studied, and my understand of what that word means. Trump has not put thousands of political opponents to death or imprisoned thousands more. Labeling Trump and more significantly, those that support his policies, Fascist serves only to stoke the political discord in this country between the Left and the Right. I don’t think Trump or others on the Right should be Labeling Democrats as un-American, Socialist (except those that identify themselves as such), or Communist. Trump is right of center, he is right of some Republicans, and he is right of me.
My support of Trump by my actions of voting for him in the last three elections does not mean I am a Fascist. Being labeled one serves no purpose but to push me further right. The push left of the Democratic party as evidenced by the election of NYC Mayor Mamdani, a self-professed democratic socialist, is alarming to me. The idea that the government needs to control more of our lives; give us free healthcare, give us free bus fare, give us more rent controls, and do all of this by increasing the tax on wealthy businesses and people is a condemnation of capitalism. Unfortunately an overwhelming percentage (67%+) of 18–30-year-olds voted for him based on his promises of free stuff. I am sorry, learn this, nothing is free. Using a socialist model of redistributing wealth from the “rich to the poor” already occurs in this country. The top 1% of the richest Americans do earn more than 24% if the adjusted gross income, but they also pay more than 40% of the federal income tax collected by the government which then provides for the many social programs trumpeted by the Democrats. The No Kings protestors scream that the wealthy must pay their fair share but most of them don’t realize the 1% already are.
I don’t think my Nonno or my father would be voting for the Democrats in 2025. My message is that Democrats must take back their party from the 7 million very vocal but very misguided folks that marched in the No Kings Protest. Trump won the election, he is the President, he is not a fascist, our democracy is not at risk and in 3 years a new president will be elected. The pendulum has swung right again but it will swing left again. The distance of the swing is very small. The left and the right in this country are not separated but by a few inches. If you want to protest, you certainly have the right to do so which proves my point that Trump
