He's no conservative, he's a NYC liberal through n through..he's capitalizing on a very weak field n saying whatever he thinks the rubes in this country want to hear.
He's an opportunist, that's for sure. Not being from NYC and not that interested in local Trump history, I'll take your word for it that he was liberal at one time.
The things he currently says that are not liberal:
Deport 25 million or so people that are illegal immigrants. Within what did he say -- a year?
Deny entry to the US of anybody that professes belief in Islam
Carpet bomb Northern Iraq to intentionally kill off the families of ISIS militia
The Wall
End Obamacare
The things that he says that are Fascist are the top four items listed above.
In order to accomplish the first item, deporting 25 million would be the largest race based police action in the US since the Japanese internment. Authoritarian police actions are beloved by fascists everywhere.
He wishes the best to dictators like Assad and Putin. He also says that the dead dictators, Sadam and Gaddafi are missed. He's a fan of dictatorships, another hallmark of fascsim
Another element of fascism is belligerent nationalism. He sure sounds like that to me when he talks about international politics.
One thing he is not is a conservative. Maybe he used to be a liberal but I think Trump is a fascist or at the very least borrowing from their playbook. Which makes him an opportunist too.
In any case, it will be nice when he loses and goes away.