Trump’s Carnival: Grabbing the world by the norms

In this article, Lisa Gaufman presents her (open access) book The Trump Carnival: Populism, Transgression and the Far Right, written with Bharath Ganesh.

Donald Trump’s political philosophy is often overshadowed by the sheer volume of his controversies. Yet at its heart lies a carnival of transgressions—norm-breaking, taboo-violating, and hierarchy-flipping—that has shaped the far-right’s approach to democracy.

As his rhetoric grows bolder and his disregard for rules extends from domestic to foreign policy, understanding the Trump carnival is essential to grasp the erosion of democratic norms in the U.S. and beyond.

His imperialist designs are part of a broader approach to politics, democracy, and foreign policy.

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Interview #47 — Trump’s Jacksonian Populism and Foreign Policy

In this interview we discuss with Corina Lacatus about the international dimension of populism, in particular how populism deals with foreign policy and international relations, often proposing economic protectionism and political isolationism. Including a much needed historical perspective that goes back to Jacksonian populism in the 1830s and agrarian populism in the 1890s, this interview offers a great journey into the international dimension of populism, a focus on Donald Trump and the way in which his rhetoric has undermined international liberalism.

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