Why Trump's Populism Failed

Why Trump’s Populism Failed

By Ryan McMaken, Mises Wire |April 22, 2026 Donald Trump ran for the presidency as a populist and he won as a populist. All the usual suspects—such as Hillary Clinton—condemned him as a populist. The political playbook his campaign followed served up the typical populist fare for the voters. That is, Trump promised to serve the “common people” by fighting against the ruling class, “draining the swamp,” punishing the corrupt, ending the governmen…

Why Trump's populism failed

Donald Trump ran for the presidency as a populist and he won as a populist. All the usual suspects — such as Hillary Clinton — condemned him as a populist. The political playbook his campaign followed served up the typical populist fare for the voters. That is, Trump promised to serve the "common people" by fighting against the ruling class, "draining the swamp," punishing the corrupt, ending the government gravy train, and generally throwing a …