Wang Dong: How to View American Right-Wing Populism
In recent years, American right-wing populism, characterized prominently by nationalism and nativism, has profoundly influenced the American political ecosystem. Currently, this trend is developing toward systematization, ideologization, and the formation of a formal political platform. The populist ideology and political movement centered on the "Make America Great Again" (MAGA) concept is increasingly maturing, becoming the core driving force reshaping the American political ecosystem and propelling the expansion of right-wing populism. It is also exerting a shock on the global political and economic landscape. Conducting a deep analysis of the generative roots, characteristic manifestations, and realistic impacts of American right-wing populism is of critical significance not only for understanding the deep-seated contradictions in American society but also for providing an important perspective on the evolution of the international situation and responding to the challenges of global governance.
I. The Generative Roots of American Right-Wing Populism
The rise of contemporary American right-wing populism is not an accidental political phenomenon but rather the result of the interlocking effects of multiple domestic economic, political, and social factors. Simultaneously, it cannot be separated from the deliberate incitement and shaping by a group of right-wing American politicians.
From the economic dimension, the imbalance of economic globalization and the damage to the interests of the American industrial working class have provided a practical foundation for social mobilization. Over the past few decades, neoliberal globalization led by the United States has promoted the optimal allocation of global resources while exacerbating the imbalance in the distribution of benefits. American multinational corporations and Wall Street financial capital have reaped massive profits through industrial offshoring and financial speculation. Conversely, the domestic manufacturing sector has faced the continuous decline of traditional industrial bases in the "Rust Belt" due to large-scale outflows. The local blue-collar working class generally faces a predicament of intensified unemployment risks, falling income levels, and a sliding quality of life, falling into what is called the "Hillbilly Elegy" [1]. The wealth gap in the US continues to expand, and social stratification has become increasingly prominent. According to the latest 2025 Federal Reserve data, the wealthiest 0.1% of American households control 13.8% of the national wealth, while the bottom 50% hold only 2.5%. After the 2008 international financial crisis, the financial rescue measures launched by the US government skewed excessively toward financial institutions and failed to effectively benefit ordinary people. This further deepened the public’s distrust of financial and political elites, and their disappointment with the economic status quo continued to accumulate, providing the social soil for the breeding and spread of populism.
From the political dimension, the functional failure of American-style representative democracy and the intensification of political polarization have created favorable space for the political competition of right-wing populism. On one hand, the relationship of trust between the establishment elites and the mass electorate has encountered an unprecedented crisis. American politics has long been deeply penetrated by monetary interests; election processes and policy decisions are manipulated by interest groups, and the decision-making orientation of political elites is seriously detached from the interest demands of ordinary people. This has led to low public willingness for political participation and a drop in trust toward traditional political elites and the establishment to historical lows, with calls to break the existing political order growing louder by the day. On the other hand, political polarization between American political parties has become increasingly severe. On key issues concerning national welfare and people’s livelihoods—such as immigration policy, public security, medical insurance, and education reform—the Republican and Democratic parties have long been deadlocked. "Vetocracy" [2] is frequently enacted, and a large number of social problems remain unresolved for long periods, causing public dissatisfaction with bipartisan politics to climb continuously. This political predicament has prompted the public to seek alternative political representation. Populists have taken the opportunity to advocate for breaking existing power structures and claim to be reclaiming "the people's sovereignty," thereby providing the practical possibility for right-wing populist forces to challenge traditional establishment parties.
From the cultural dimension, the tearing of American national identity and the sustained confrontation of the "culture wars" have injected internal momentum for value integration into right-wing populism. As a typical immigrant country, the collision and fusion of multiculturalism is an inherent social characteristic of the US. However, in recent years, the influx of a large number of immigrants, especially undocumented immigrants, has not only created competition for employment opportunities and social welfare among local residents but has also impacted American mainstream values at the cultural level. Under the influence of multiculturalist ideology, some immigrant groups have a low level of identification with mainstream American culture, leading to a serious fracturing of American national identity. The "culture war" between radical liberals and nativist conservatives has become increasingly fierce. Populists utilize the cultural anxiety and identity crisis of the white lower-and-middle classes to incite nativist sentiments, making immigrants scapegoats for social problems and stimulating public resonance. The superposition of multicultural conflict, national identity crisis, and "culture wars" has paved the way for the strengthening of conservative white identity and the nativism of mainstream white culture.
Among these multiple drivers, the identity predicament and cultural conflict fully embody the uniqueness of American right-wing populism. The phenomenon of the white working class's interests being harmed by the global adjustment of the industrial structure has existed for a long time, and bipartisan political polarization and the failure of representative democracy are also inherent problems of the American competitive party system. However, it was not until the rise of right-wing populism in American politics since the 2016 election that these scattered contradictions were gradually reconstructed along the dimension of cultural values, forming binary oppositional narratives such as "white working class vs. foreign immigrants." Right-wing populism takes the suppression of the extreme "left" progressivism's multicultural policies and its "political correctness" as a major goal, loudly advocating so-called nationalism and patriotism. It can be said that right-wing populism is the latest manifestation of the long-term American "culture war" and a concentrated explosion of contradictions in the realm of values at the political level.
II. Characteristic Manifestations of American Right-Wing Populism
In its development process, American right-wing populism has formed several distinct characteristics. These are reflected in the core narratives of anti-establishment and anti-elitism, as well as in specific trends such as extreme nationalism, inflammatory emotional mobilization of public opinion, and the differentiation between the left and right camps. These characteristics not only reshape domestic political discourse and alliance patterns but also have far-reaching effects on internal and external policies and social identity.
Narrative characteristics of anti-elitism and anti-establishment. The binary oppositional narrative framework of "people vs. elites" and "outsiders vs. establishment" constructed by American right-wing populism holds that establishment elites have monopolized political and economic power which belongs to the people, and are the root of corruption. It posits that the institutional operations established by political elites are highly untrustworthy. By fiercely criticizing establishment elites and the existing political system, right-wing populists deliberately shape an "outsider" image, claiming to represent the interests of ordinary people and advocating for the destruction of the existing political order. This attracts support from a public dissatisfied with the political status quo, gradually forming a political mobilization model with powerful rallying appeal.
Extreme nationalism and nativist tendencies. Since the 2016 election, right-wing populism has consistently held high the banner of "America First," transforming extreme nationalism and nativist tendencies from discourse into political practice. In the economic field, it implements trade protectionist policies, wielding the "big stick" of tariffs. By imposing global tariffs, it attempts to protect domestic industrial interests, which severely damages the global trade order. In the field of immigration, it implements strict restrictive policies, promoting the large-scale arrest and deportation of undocumented immigrants, publicly inciting nativist sentiments and narrow nationalism, and exacerbating the ethnic antagonism in American society.
A new paradigm of populist mobilization centered on social media. Traditional populism mostly relied on public speeches by political figures, rallies, or television media for mass mobilization. Current right-wing populism, however, fully utilizes the communication advantages of social media to construct a brand-new political mobilization model. Through social media platforms, they use simple, direct, and highly inflammatory language to spread extreme political views, deliberately amplifying negative emotions such as anger and fear to quickly mobilize supporters for political activities. They even release policy proposals and guide public opinion directly through social media, bypassing the influence of traditional media and forming unique phenomena such as "social media demagoguery," which constitutes a subversive shock to the traditional American political communication system and public opinion guidance mechanisms.
Distinct economic-geographical differentiation. From the perspective of the social base, American left-wing populism takes grassroots classes such as urban and rural low-income groups and immigrants as its main body, attributing social predicaments to the elite's monopoly on interests and the injustice of existing institutions, and advocating for distributive fairness through institutional reform. Right-wing populism, however, is centered on the middle class, especially white blue-collar workers in the "Rust Belt." They believe that economic globalization and foreign immigrants are the main reasons their interests have been harmed, and they oppose high taxes and healthcare reform while rejecting immigrants. Geographically, left-wing populist supporters are mainly concentrated in the economically developed and culturally open coastal states. Right-wing populist supporters are mainly distributed in the relatively underdeveloped and culturally conservative interior states. In terms of the urban-rural divide, urban voters are more inclined to support left-wing populism, while rural voters have a higher identifying affinity for right-wing populism. Although both left and right populism share anti-elite and anti-establishment characteristics and hold critical views toward economic globalization, right-wing populism is more prominent in its nativism, cultural conservatism, and extreme nationalism.
III. The Realistic Impact of American Right-Wing Populism
The rise of American right-wing populism not only profoundly reshapes the domestic political ecosystem but also exerts multi-dimensional, systemic, and complex influences on its economic, social, and foreign policy fields. To some extent, this reflects a response to the failure of traditional American governance models, but overall, it poses severe challenges to American internal and external development and the international order.
Impacting the foundations of the American democratic system and intensifying bipartisan polarization. The legitimacy of the 2020 presidential election results was questioned, and supporters of then-President Trump stormed the Capitol. This event not only severely damaged the credibility of the American democratic electoral system but also directly challenged core constitutional democratic principles such as checks and balances and the peaceful transfer of power, dealing a huge blow to the normal functioning order of American democratic politics. Driven by the MAGA movement, the degree of political polarization has further deteriorated: populist forces within the Republican Party have risen rapidly, while traditional establishment forces have been significantly weakened or even marginalized. Differences between the two parties on ideology and policy proposals have become increasingly sharp, the space for political compromise is continuously shrinking, and the government frequently falls into governance predicaments.
Destroying the global trade cooperation landscape and disrupting the international economic order. Trade protectionist policies driven by American right-wing populism have produced multiple negative impacts on the global economy. This year, the US government has imposed additional tariffs on countries worldwide, leading to a sharp rise in import costs for American domestic enterprises and blocked export markets. Simultaneously, this has triggered countermeasures from other countries, dealing a serious blow to the stability of global industrial and supply chains. American consumers face the pressure of rising prices, and the burden on low-income groups has intensified. In the long run, this will also damage the competitiveness of the American economy and the environment for international economic cooperation. Furthermore, the short-termism and instability of populist policies cause investor confidence to falter, market expectations to be confused, and volatility in the job market to intensify, which not only affects the sustainable growth of the American economy but also increases the risks for the global economy.
Exacerbating domestic social contradictions and worsening the environment for public opinion. The spread and diffusion of right-wing populism have further intensified the antagonism and division between different classes, races, and regions in American society. Conflicts between supporters and opponents of the MAGA movement occur frequently, and the surge in anti-immigrant sentiment has triggered serious racial antagonism. The rights and interests of minority groups have been harmed, and the degree of tearing in American society has further intensified. On social media platforms, populist rhetoric, disinformation, and hate speech are interwoven, and the confrontation between groups with different viewpoints has escalated, leading to a continuous weakening of social cohesion.
Promoting the expansion of unilateralist diplomacy and accelerating international disorder. In the diplomatic field, foreign policy dominated by American right-wing populism exhibits strong colors of unilateralism and hegemonism. In recent years, the US has ignored international rules and multilateral cooperation mechanisms, withdrawing from major international organizations and multilateral agreements such as UNESCO, the World Health Organization, the Paris Agreement, the Iran Nuclear Deal, and the INF Treaty. This has dealt a blow to the global multilateral trading system, climate change cooperation, and the nuclear non-proliferation system, weakening American international influence and leadership and accelerating the turbulence and restructuring of the international order, severely damaging the stability of the global governance system. The hegemonistic concept of "peace through strength" pursued by the US has led to intensified tensions in international relations and rising geopolitical risks.
In conclusion, as long as deep-seated problems such as the imbalance of the American economic structure, the widening gap between rich and poor, the failure of the political system, and the tearing of social culture remain unresolved, populism will always evolve from an "underground undercurrent" into a "surface flood" at specific historical junctures, exerting a continuous impact on American domestic and foreign affairs. In today's world, where the degree of interconnectedness and interdependence is deeper than ever before, American populism will inevitably impact global affairs as well. Consistently monitoring and deeply researching American populism helps us effectively understand and grasp the essence of American domestic and foreign policies, and enables us to better understand the global politics and economy under the changes unseen in a century [3].
(The author is a Professor at the school of International Studies, Peking University) Source: Qiushi, Issue 17, 2025 Online Editor: Tongxin