There are often good reasons to call a spade a spade. But what if the spade looks a bit like a Nazi? Does that actually make it a Nazi, or is it in fact just a rather authoritarian shovel? Beware too tricks of the light – it may simply be the Third Rake.

As Donald Trump enters the third week of his presidency, debate rages about which labels can most suitably be attached to the robust style of politics he has unleashed on the United States. To say he is a populist seems a pretty safe bet, while Trump’s explicit focus on putting “America first” means that protectionism is a term the President would presumably endorse himself.

But to those who regard the man in the White House as the devil incarnate, these descriptions barely scratch the surface. Worse they normalise an administration which is anything but normal. To critics, the imperative to call Trump out on his divisive policies requires more extreme comparisons.

Godwin’s law is the adage that if an online discussion carries on for sufficient time (regardless of its original subject) eventually a comparison will be made to Hitler. When it comes to Donald Trump, there is usually no need to wait long or even to hang around internet chat rooms. After his executive order banning entry to the US from seven predominantly Muslim countries, Madrid’s mayor Manuela Carmena alluded to Trump’s democratic victory before noting that “in the 20th century, we experienced one of the greatest violations of human rights by a government that also initially enjoyed popular support”.

Others have been happy to be even more direct in their language. In December 2015, former New Jersey Governor, Christine Todd Whitman – a Republican – suggested that Trump was employing “the kind of rhetoric that allowed Hitler to move forward”.

The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Show all 9 1 /9 The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the media White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer takes questions during the daily press briefing Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the Trans-Pacific Partnership Union leaders applaud US President Donald Trump for signing an executive order withdrawing the US from the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations during a meeting in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington DC. Mr Trump issued a presidential memorandum in January announcing that the US would withdraw from the trade deal Getty The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the Mexico wall A US Border Patrol vehicle sits waiting for illegal immigrants at a fence opening near the US-Mexico border near McAllen, Texas. The number of incoming immigrants has surged ahead of the upcoming Presidential inauguration of Donald Trump, who has pledged to build a wall along the US-Mexico border. A signature campaign promise, Mr Trump outlined his intention to build a border wall on the US-Mexico border days after taking office Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and abortion US President Donald Trump signs an executive order as Chief of Staff Reince Priebus looks on in the Oval Office of the White House. Mr Trump reinstated a ban on American financial aide being granted to non-governmental organizations that provide abortion counseling, provide abortion referrals, or advocate for abortion access outside of the United States Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the Dakota Access pipeline Opponents of the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines hold a rally as they protest US President Donald Trump's executive orders advancing their construction, at Columbus Circle in New York. US President Donald Trump signed executive orders reviving the construction of two controversial oil pipelines, but said the projects would be subject to renegotiation Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and 'Obamacare' Nancy Pelosi who is the minority leader of the House of Representatives speaks beside House Democrats at an event to protect the Affordable Care Act in Los Angeles, California. US President Donald Trump's effort to make good on his campaign promise to repeal and replace the healthcare law failed when Republicans failed to get enough votes. Mr Trump has promised to revisit the matter Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Donald Trump and 'sanctuary cities' US President Donald Trump signed an executive order in January threatening to pull funding for so-called "sanctuary cities" if they do not comply with federal immigration law AP The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the travel ban US President Donald Trump has attempted twice to restrict travel into the United States from several predominantly Muslim countries. The first attempt, in February, was met with swift opposition from protesters who flocked to airports around the country. That travel ban was later blocked by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The second ban was blocked by a federal judge a day before it was scheduled to be implemented in mid-March SANDY HUFFAKER/AFP/Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and climate change US President Donald Trump sought to dismantle several of his predecessor's actions on climate change in March. His order instructed the Environmental Protection Agency to reevaluate the Clean Power Plan, which would cap power plant emissions Shannon Stapleton/Reuters

And it’s not just the President himself who has been the subject of such comparisons. Controversial, Trump-supporting speakers have been met with protests in recent days as they attempted to address students at several locations. In New York Gavin McInnes, a conservative provocateur, abandoned a campus talk as activists yelled at police for protecting “Nazis” and “neo-Nazis”.

“Nazi” is arguably the least helpful term for any sensible critique of Trump, more or less equivalent to turning the volume up to 11 and shouting “your mum” until everyone else goes home. The term is, after all, a bastardised shortening of the German Nationalsozialist and ought to be used only in connection with individuals or political movements which have the same aims as Hitler’s National Socialists. To bandy around the comparison less precisely underplays the horrors of the Third Reich and oversimplifies the complex scenario which we are currently seeing unfold not only in the US but other longstanding democracies of the West too. It is better to understand political movements in their own contexts, not by judging them against what happened 80 years ago. That’s not to say we shouldn’t look for signs of history repeating itself – but for opposition to carry weight it must be based on a cogent understanding of what is happening in the here and now.

The Super Bowl ad that was censored because of Trump

If “Nazi” is a step too far, what about considering Trumpism as a form of fascism? Here at least there is the advantage that fascism can be seen as a broader philosophy under which various political parties and movements have existed during the last century. And it certainly seems plausible to suggest that Trump’s style of government has much in common with other instances of fascistic rule. He undoubtedly stands for nationalism: indeed, he appears to be becoming even more nationalistic than many anticipated. He seems keen also to promote his own masculinity and the masculine strength of others – and the cult of his own leadership is already very much in evidence. Appeals to America’s long lost golden age combined with rhetoric about restoring that strength are also comparable to past fascist regimes.

The problem, if indeed it is a problem, is that “fascist” has become such a catch-all insult that, like hurling the “Nazi” jibe, it is too easily dismissed as being over the top. The comparison may be all too likely, but it sounds like playground stuff.

It is tempting, perhaps, to argue that this doesn’t matter. If bluster, insults and playing fast and loose with the truth are good enough for the President of the USA, then they should be good enough for the rest of us. But is that really what the world has come to – a race to the bottom with the former star of the Apprentice?