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Populism is on the rise, and democracy is under threat. From Washington to Westminster, politicians claim to have the interests of the ‘everyman’ at heart. But what could this mean for democracy?
‘Populism’ refers to politics that empowers the ordinary people by working against the elites. Both Trump and Farage employ this narrative to reach people who feel disenfranchised with the state of their country. By looking at what Trump’s rhetoric has done to democracy in America, we can hypothesise what Britain under Farage could look like.
Trump tweeted in 2014, “People often ask me the secret to my success, and the answer is simple: passion, focus and hard work”. What he mysteriously leaves out of his recipe for success is that he has received “at least $413 million from his father’s real estate empire”, much of which was obtained through tax loopholes and “outright fraud”. Trump is a man born into incredible wealth, and one with a controversial track record when it comes to business success.
Yet Trump effectively deceives his voters by downplaying the real reasons for his accomplishments. Across three voter surveys (2016–2018), up to half of Americans didn’t know that Trump was born into wealth. This narrative is fed to working-class Americans through Trump’s speeches and tweets. The myth that they, too, can share his wealth and success is a manipulative move to keep them voting red.
Such populist tactics allow politicians to exert power in questionable ways. By inflating national issues, whether it’s immigration or economic woes, populist politicians position themselves as the only hope. With their sheer hard work, patriotism, and determination, they will save the working class from a crippling nation. Under the guise of being a messiah, these politicians lay the groundwork for democratic erosion. Backed by data, “populist governments are about four times more likely than non-populist ones to harm democratic institutions”. Democracy can then be undermined and overstretched.
Do we see this effect taking place in America?
Trump has carefully crafted his image over the past 10 years. He is the American Christ reincarnate, truly the only one who can ‘make America great again’. The very first amendment of the American Constitution, in short, upholds that Congress will never threaten freedom of speech, freedom of the press, the freedom to protest peacefully, and the freedom to petition against the government. Yet since Trump’s second term in office, he has continuously bullied protestors, censored the press and turned executive power into a tool for personal revenge. But it’s for the sake of the nation, right?
To understand the severity of the effect Trump has had on America, The New York Times compiled 12 key indicators of democratic erosion. Its findings show that the United States have regressed on every single one.
This isn’t just political theory anymore; it is a threatening reality. The same rhetoric is being seen with Nigel Farage. Farage poses as a man of the people, with a pint in one hand and patriotism in the other. He tears down the opposition’s image to build up his own. He asks, “What does Starmer know about people getting up at 5 am to go to work, pay their taxes and still not have enough money to pay the bills?”.
Yet Farage was educated at Dulwich College, a private, fee-paying boys’ school. Farage attended from 1975 to 1982. The cost to send a child there for the 2025-2026 academic year ranges from £10,164 to £21,422 per term, depending on age and whether the child is a day student or a boarder.
Just as seen with Trump, this doesn’t tend to be common knowledge among Farage’s fans. Reform voter Chris claims, “Eton and Harrow types”, “They’re not the same as us”, “The everyman on the street,” yet unknowingly votes for an ‘Eton and Harrow’ type.
The problem doesn’t lie with how expensive Farage’s education was, but with the false image he presents to his voters. This misleading tactic is dangerous, and research shows that populist politics hurts those it claims to save.
Voters need to wake up to the tactics of populists like Trump and Farage!
Populism isn’t politics as usual; it’s democracy’s slow undoing. If Britain doesn’t take the populist rhetoric of Farage seriously, we may soon find our own freedoms slipping from our fingers.
America is the land of the free, and Britain is the mother of parliaments. But under populist threat, democracy might not be here for much longer.
Edited by: Rida Ali
Image: Official White House Photo by Shealeah Craighead, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
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