… “Nationalist populism,” a phenomenon that’s lifted many a lesser-known politician to prominence on both sides of the Atlantic, takes a slightly different form in the U.S. from that of Europe. In countries like France, Italy and Germany, it is national identity that tends to separate “us vs. them.” Race and ethnicity play a big role in U.S. politics as well, of course, but there’s also a large ideological element that determines who gets defined as alien.
In 2016, Trump cast undocumented immigrants as the key threat to national security and harmony. Next year, he will do the same to Democrats themselves. He has calculated that by labeling the Democratic Party and their presidential nominee as “socialist,” he can boost his chances of lifting Republican turnout and drawing centrist voters toward the GOP.
He might be right. CONT.
Ian Bremmer, Time