OSU-Cascades prof weighs in on Trump, populism

Donald Trump has had a busy first week as president. He’s addressed many of the things he campaigned on, including Obamacare, environmental issues – and the border wall between the U.S. and Mexico.

Those issues resonated loudly with a large portion of Americans, and his approach to them was a large factor in the successful outcome of the campaign.

Lots of people were calling Trump a populist throughout the election. But is his appeal to large groups of citizens automatically populism?

OSU-Cascades political science professor emeritus James Foster held a talk about populism Thursday night at the Deschutes Public Library on Bend’s Eastside.

One interesting connection he made was of Nat Turner’s rebellion in 1831 to the Black Lives Matter movement of today. He said they’re both linked in the centuries-old struggle for black liberation, which he argues could be considered a populist movement.

Foster also touched on Trump’s campaign a bit, saying he sees a distinct difference between Trump and past populist leaders.

“The core notion as it was understood by these participants was to expand the democratic possibilities of American society by empowering the members of the movement,” Foster explained.

That sounds a lot like what Trump did on the campaign trail, but Foster pointed out a key disparity.

“(He ran) a campaign based on fear, anxiety, stigmatizing,” Foster said. “A kind of oppositional campaign (that) in a way kind of stands populism on its head.”

Regardless of how he got here, though, Trump has the eyes of America on him as he strives to make good on his promises.

Another of those promises is a strong relationship with Russia. Foster, who has taught in St. Petersburg, Russia, said he thinks succeeding in this endeavor will be key to Trump’s presidency.

“Putin might be the test that comes to new presidents,” Foster said. “Every president since John Kennedy has had a test — some kind of international or domestic issue that’s cropped up and had to be dealt with.”

Asked his opinion on the wall Trump wants to build along the U.S.-Mexican border, Foster said he’s dubious of its feasibility, given Mexico’s current unwillingness to pay for it.