Right-wing populism will not die with Trump even if Harris wins: Report

Donald Trump

The United States will vote to elect the 47th president – either Democrat Kamala Harris or Republican Donald Trump -- on November 5.

Regardless of who wins, former US president Donald Trump is likely to remain a key figure in his party at least for a few days, if not for the next couple of years. By 2028, the Grand Old Party (Republican) will have a new figurehead, but that does not necessarily mean it will usher in a shift in the party’s primary agenda.

Trump’s personality and his personal brand of politics has greatly influenced the switch in popular political-cultural discourse from tax rates to reproductive rights, among the right wingers. His absence may reverse the process, one school of thought suggests.

However, according to a report by the Financial Times, this theory will not hold ground as the rise of the populist right was not born in the United States and is not limited to America either. For instance, across most of Europe, right-wing parties are now in power or have gained massive popularity and that indicates a wider societal shift.

Political scientists Matt Grossman and David Hopkins outlined in their book ‘Polarized by Degrees’ that the political divide has realigned from class to education and forged stronger alliances that wouldn’t be affected by the changes in political personnel.

They pointed out that elites coming from arts and entertainment backgrounds have for long been left-leaning and academia has titled westward further over the past decades. Similarly, it has become harder to spot a ‘conservative’ journalist, and in fact, corporate honchos are also aligning increasingly with the left. While in the business world, there remain pockets that are bastions of conservatism, the top earners and those holding the most influential posts, hold mostly progressive opinions.

This shift in mentality has bound the modern right to so-called ‘anti-establishment politics’ like never before.

According to Portuguese researcher Vicente Valentim, the rise of right-wing populism has been too swift to have been a result of a societal shift in the value system. Rather, it is more likely to have been caused by the reactionary views that were festering beneath the surface.

The FT report stated, “In a self-reinforcing loop, politicians now know there is a constituency for reactionary politics, and this part of the electorate knows its concerns have entered the ‘Overton window’ of acceptability. Given the momentum behind these shifts, it is hard to see how the populist-right genie could be put back in the bottle.”

A third trend that would guarantee the survival of Trump’s brand of politics even after he’s gone in the rising importance of political authenticity. A research paper published by the University of Southampton has found that the electorate are more prone to side with a politician who is unhinged in the way he presents himself or herself to the masses over someone who is putting up a show. As per the study, for voters, this trait is as important as competence.

Hence, “it would be naive to imagine that culture-centric, anti-establishment politics will fade with Trump”, the FT report stated, highlighting that while leftist ideologies continue to inspire the upper echelons of society, the “lower-status” masses are turning in large numbers to their right-wing messiahs.