Friday, August 28, 2015

Is Donald Trump a Populist?

I'm in the process of editing the content of GOVT 2305's section on ideology (section 3) and I'm modifying the content on populism. American politics is defined by periods when populist candidates gain traction because some group is ticked off at elites of some sort.

Since some argue that Donald Trump is best thought of as a populist, I thought its worth looking at this material to see how the word is used in this context.

Not everyone agrees with the appraisal.

- The New Republic: Donald Trump Is Not a Populist. He's the Voice of Aggrieved Privilege.
- Salon: Sanders the populist, Trump the fascist: The truth about comparing two unlikely presidential contenders.
- The Guardian: Donald Trump's candidacy: a populist, celebrity-driven first in US politics.
- The Huffington Post: Donald Trump Is A Plutocrat Populist From Hell.