I’ve been trying to understand why people vote populist so, among other things, I recently began following the Trump-supporting Breitbart News on Twitter. I had expected to encounter triumphant joy. After all, Breitbart’s man has a unique chance to remake America. But instead, Breitbart’s dominant tone is the sneer. Many of the tweets mock pundits and celebrities who say anything leftie. For instance, when actor Chris Evans rants about Trump, Breitbart tweets a gleeful loudly crying face emoji. Another big category of tweets gloats about immigrants accused of crimes. Above a story about a “six-time deportee” Mexican in Texas arrested for drunk-driving, Breitbart breaks into song: “ Wall, wall, wall your south, gently by the Rio ”.
Much less energy is spent plugging Trump’s plans. In fact, Breitbart’s main current policy drive is to convince Republicans to keep Obamacare’s health coverage for poorer Americans.
At first I was baffled. If your guy runs the US, who cares about actors or small-time Mexican lawbreakers? But I have gradually realised that populism isn’t so much about finding solutions. It promises something different, and possibly more appealing: punishment.