I see the expansion of Executive power as a worrying trend toward fascism/authoritatianism. (Trump v US)
I see worsening rhetoric and disinformation campaigns as a worrying trend toward fascism/authoritarianism. (Is there any parallel to the 2020 election disinformation campaign in terms of scale and success?)
Again, pointing to Japan or South Korea doesn't suggest anything to me. We should compare the current US to the past US. It's like saying "we don't have our own Soviet gulag archipelago yet, so we really shouldn't be worried", it reads like goal post shifting to me.
Wrt government coverups, I kind of agree? The problem is most of this administration's corruption is out in the open. The President has his own meme coin market and NFT schlock which he personally benefits from. Previous staff have been the beneficiaries of billion dollar deals (Kushner). There isn't any accountability among his staff apart from loyalty (Hegseth is still around and apparently conducting a shadow foreign policy unbeknownst to Trump).
Is this talking in "grave terms"? I dunno. I'm not making any predictions, but I see these as bad trends that should be identified. If others on the left are being overly dramatic then they ought to defend their criticism when pressed.