The Paradox of Trump's Populism
The president’s remarks at a recent rally inflating his wealth illuminate how his particular brand of populism works.
Throughout the 2016 presidential election, there persisted among his opponents a Millenarian faith in the silver bullet that would end Donald Trump’s presidential hopes. There were multiple failed prophets and prophecies of this faith: Trump’s comments about Senator John McCain not being a war hero were going to take down his campaign. Then his feud with Megyn Kelly. Then his kid-glove treatment of David Duke. His attacks on Khizr Khan. The Access Hollywood tape. Some rumored but never delivered opposition-research in the last weeks of the campaign. Needless to say, none of these incidents were fatal to Trump’s campaign.
