How to View American Right-Wing Populism

In recent years, the American right-wing populist trend of thought, marked by nationalism and xenophobia, has profoundly influenced the U.S. political ecosystem. Particularly at present, this trend has developed into a systematic, ideological, and politically programmatic force. The populist ideology and political movement centered on the concept of "Make America Great Again" (MAGA) are increasingly mature, becoming the core driver reshaping the U.S. political ecosystem and fueling the expansion of right-wing populism, while also impacting the global political and economic landscape. An in-depth analysis of the generative roots, characteristic manifestations, and practical impacts of American right-wing populism is not only crucial for understanding the deep-seated contradictions within American society but also provides an important perspective for grasping the evolution of the international situation and addressing challenges in global governance.

近年来，以民族主义和排外主义为显著特征的美国右翼民粹主义思潮，深刻影响美国政治生态。特别是当前，美国右翼民粹主义思潮呈现体系化、意识形态化、政治纲领化的发展态势，以“让美国再次伟大”（简称MAGA）理念为核心的民粹主义意识形态与政治运动日益成熟，成为重塑美国政治生态、推动右翼民粹主义扩张的核心动力，也对全球政治经济格局产生冲击。深入剖析美国右翼民粹主义的生成根源、特征表现、现实影响，不仅对于理解美国社会深层矛盾具有关键意义，更为把握国际形势演变、应对全球治理挑战提供重要视角。

I. The Generative Roots of American Right-Wing Populism

一、美国右翼民粹主义的生成根源

The rise of contemporary American right-wing populism is not an accidental political phenomenon but the result of the interplay of multiple factors within the U.S., including economic, political, and social dimensions, alongside deliberate incitement and shaping by a cohort of American right-wing politicians.

当代美国右翼民粹主义兴起，并非偶然的政治现象，而是美国国内经济、政治、社会等多重因素交织作用的结果，同时也离不开一批美国右翼政客的刻意煽动与塑造。

From an economic dimension, the imbalance of economic globalization and the damage to the interests of the American industrial working class have provided the social mobilization foundation for American right-wing populism. Over the past few decades, the neoliberal globalization led by the United States, while promoting the optimal allocation of global resources, has also exacerbated the imbalance in the distribution of benefits. American multinational corporations and Wall Street financial capital have reaped huge profits through industrial relocation and financial speculation. In contrast, the large-scale outflow of domestic manufacturing in the U.S. has led to the continuous decline of traditional industrial bases in the "Rust Belt," leaving the native blue-collar working class generally facing increased unemployment risk, declining income levels, and deteriorating quality of life, trapped in what is called the "Hillbilly Elegy." [1]1 "Hillbilly Elegy" refers to the 2016 memoir by J.D. Vance, which became a cultural touchstone for explaining the struggles of the white working class in the Rust Belt and Appalachia to a national audience. The wealth gap in the U.S. continues to widen, and social class differentiation is increasingly prominent. According to the latest 2025 data from the Federal Reserve, the wealthiest 0.1% of U.S. households control 13.8% of the nation's wealth, while the bottom 50% of households hold only 2.5%. After the outbreak of the 2008 international financial crisis, the financial rescue measures introduced by the U.S. government were excessively tilted toward financial institutions and failed to effectively benefit ordinary people, further deepening public distrust of financial and political elites. Their accumulated disappointment with the economic situation has provided the social soil for the breeding and spread of populism.

从经济维度看，经济全球化失衡与美国产业工人阶层利益受损，为美国右翼民粹主义提供了社会动员的现实基础。过去数十年，美国主导的新自由主义全球化在推动全球资源优化配置的同时，也加剧了利益分配的失衡。美国跨国公司和华尔街金融资本通过产业外迁、金融投机等方式获取巨额利润。反观美国国内制造业，大规模外流导致“铁锈地带”传统工业基地持续衰败，本土蓝领工人阶层普遍面临失业风险加剧、收入水平下降、生活质量滑坡的困境，陷入所谓“乡下人的悲歌”。美国贫富差距不断扩大，社会阶层分化日益凸显。根据美联储2025年最新数据，美国最富有的0.1%家庭把控了全国13.8%的财富，最底层的50%家庭所拥有的财富占比仅为2.5%。2008年国际金融危机爆发后，美国政府推出的金融救助措施过度向金融机构倾斜，未能有效惠及普通民众，进一步加深了民众对金融精英与政治精英的不信任感，他们对经济现状的失望情绪持续累积，为民粹主义滋生蔓延提供了社会土壤。

From a political dimension, the functional failure of American-style representative democracy and intensified political polarization have created favorable space for American right-wing populism to compete politically. On one hand, the trust relationship between the U.S. establishment elite and the voting public has encountered an unprecedented crisis. American politics has long been deeply penetrated by moneyed interests, with electoral processes and policy decisions manipulated by interest groups. The decision-making orientation of political elites is severely disconnected from the interest demands of ordinary people, leading to low public willingness to participate politically and trust in traditional political elites and the establishment falling to historic lows, with calls to break the existing political order growing louder. On the other hand, political polarization between U.S. political parties has become increasingly severe. On key issues concerning national welfare and people's livelihoods—such as immigration policy, social security, medical care, and education reform—the Republican and Democratic parties have long been deadlocked, with "vetocracy" frequently playing out. Numerous social problems remain unresolved for extended periods, and public dissatisfaction with bipartisan politics continues to rise. This political predicament drives people to seek alternative political representatives. Populism seizes the opportunity to advocate for breaking the existing power structure, claiming to reclaim "the sovereignty of the people," thereby providing a realistic possibility for American right-wing populist forces to challenge traditional establishment parties.

从政治维度看，美式代议制民主的功能失灵与政治极化加剧，为美国右翼民粹主义创造了参与政治竞争的有利空间。一方面，美国建制派精英与选民大众之间的信任关系遭遇前所未有的危机。美国政治长期被金钱利益深度渗透，选举过程与政策决策受利益集团操控，政治精英的决策取向与普通民众的利益诉求严重脱节，导致民众政治参与意愿低落，对传统政治精英与建制派的信任度降至历史低点，打破现有政治秩序的呼声日益高涨。另一方面，美国政党之间的政治极化愈发严重。在移民政策、社会治安、医疗保障、教育改革等关乎国计民生的关键议题上，美国共和党与民主党长期陷入僵持，“否决政治”频繁上演，大量社会问题久拖不决，民众对两党政治的不满情绪持续攀升。这种政治困境促使民众寻求替代性的政治代表，民粹主义借机宣扬打破现有权力结构，宣称重夺“人民的主权”，从而为美国右翼民粹主义势力挑战传统建制派政党提供了现实可能。

From a cultural dimension, the fragmentation of American national identity and the ongoing opposition in the "culture war" have injected intrinsic momentum for value integration into American right-wing populism. As a typical immigrant country, the collision and integration of diverse cultures are inherent social characteristics of the U.S. However, in recent years, the influx of large numbers of immigrants, especially illegal immigrants, has not only created competition with native residents over job opportunities and social welfare but has also impacted mainstream American values at the cultural level. Influenced by multicultural ideologies, some immigrant groups have a low degree of identification with mainstream American culture, leading to severe fragmentation of American national identity. The "culture war" between radical liberals and native conservatives has intensified. Populists exploit the cultural anxiety and identity crisis of the white lower-middle class to incite xenophobic sentiment, scapegoating immigrants for social problems and resonating with the public. The superposition of multicultural conflict, national identity crisis, and the "culture war" has paved the way for the strengthening of conservative white identity and the xenophobia of mainstream white culture.

从文化维度看，美国国家身份认同的撕裂与“文化战争”的持续对立，为美国右翼民粹主义注入了价值整合的内在动力。美国作为典型的移民国家，多元文化的碰撞与融合本是其社会特征，但近年来大量移民尤其是非法移民的涌入，不仅在就业机会、社会福利等方面与本土居民形成利益竞争，更在文化层面对美国主流价值观念造成冲击。在多元文化意识形态的影响下，部分移民群体对美国主流文化的认同度较低，导致美国国家身份认同严重撕裂，激进自由派与本土保守派之间的“文化战争”愈演愈烈。民粹主义者利用白人中下阶层的文化焦虑与认同危机煽动排外情绪，将移民作为社会问题的替罪羊，激发民众共鸣。多元文化冲突、国家认同危机与“文化战争”的叠加，为保守派白人身份认同的强化与主流白人文化的排外主义铺平了道路。

Among the multiple motivations above, the identity dilemma and cultural conflict fully embody the uniqueness of American right-wing populism. The global adjustment of U.S. industrial structure, which has harmed the interests of the white working class, has long existed. Bipartisan political polarization and the failure of representative democracy are also inherent problems of the U.S. competitive party system. However, it was not until the rise of right-wing populism in U.S. politics since the 2016 presidential election that these scattered contradictions were gradually reconstructed along the dimension of cultural values, forming binary opposition narratives such as "white working class versus immigrants." Right-wing populism targets the multicultural policies and "political correctness" of the American far-left progressivism, loudly advocating so-called nationalism and patriotism. It can be said that right-wing populism is the latest manifestation of America's long-standing "culture war" and a concentrated eruption of contradictions in the realm of values at the political level.

在上述多重动因中，身份认同困境与文化冲突充分体现美国右翼民粹主义的独特性。美国产业结构全球调整导致白人工人阶层利益受损的现象长期存在，两党政治极化与代议制民主失灵也是美国竞争性政党体制的固有问题，但直到2016年美国大选以来右翼民粹主义在美国政治中崛起，这些分散的矛盾才逐步在文化价值观维度进行重构，形成“白人工人阶级—外来移民”等二元对立叙事。右翼民粹主义将打击美国极“左”进步主义的多元文化政策及其“政治正确”作为重要目标，高调倡导所谓的民族主义与爱国主义。可以说，右翼民粹主义是美国长期“文化战争”的最新表现形式，也是价值观领域矛盾在政治层面的集中爆发。

II. Characteristic Manifestations of American Right-Wing Populism

二、美国右翼民粹主义的特征表现

American right-wing populism has developed several distinct characteristics in its evolution, reflected not only in the core narrative of anti-establishment and anti-elite but also in specific tendencies such as extreme nationalism, emotional incitement through public opinion, and the differentiation between left and right camps. These characteristics not only reshape U.S. domestic political discourse and coalition patterns but also have a profound impact on domestic and foreign policies and social identity.

美国右翼民粹主义在发展过程中形成了若干鲜明特征，既体现为反建制、反精英的核心叙事，也表现为极端民族主义、舆论煽动情绪与左右阵营分化等具体趋向。这些特征不仅重塑美国国内政治话语和联盟格局，也对内外政策与社会认同产生深远影响。

The narrative characteristic of anti-elite and anti-establishment. The binary opposition narrative framework of "people versus elites" and "outsiders versus the establishment" constructed by American right-wing populism holds that establishment elites have monopolized the political and economic power that rightfully belongs to the people and are the root of corruption, rendering the power operation system established by establishment political elites highly untrustworthy. By fiercely criticizing establishment political elites and the existing political system, right-wing populists deliberately cultivate an image of "political outsiders," claiming to represent the interests of ordinary people, advocating for breaking the existing political order, attracting support from people dissatisfied with the political status quo, and gradually forming a political mobilization model with strong appeal.

反精英、反建制的叙事特征。美国右翼民粹主义构建的“人民—精英”、“局外人—建制派”二元对立叙事框架认为，建制派精英垄断了本属于人民的政治和经济权力，是腐败的根源，建制派政治精英建立的权力运行制度高度不可信。右翼民粹主义者通过激烈批判建制派政治精英和现有政治体制，刻意塑造“政治局外人”形象，声称代表普通民众利益，主张打破现有政治秩序，吸引对政治现状不满的民众支持，逐步形成具有强大号召力的政治动员模式。

Extreme nationalism and xenophobic tendencies. Since the 2016 U.S. presidential election, right-wing populism has consistently held high the banner of "America First," translating extreme nationalism and xenophobia from discourse into political practice. In the economic sphere, it pursues trade protectionist policies, wielding the tariff stick and imposing tariffs globally in an attempt to protect the interests of U.S. domestic industries, severely damaging the global trade order. In the immigration sphere, it implements strict immigration restriction policies, promotes large-scale arrests and deportations of illegal immigrants, and openly incites xenophobic sentiment and narrow nationalism among the native population, exacerbating ethnic antagonism in American society.

极端民族主义与排外倾向。自2016年美国大选以来，右翼民粹主义始终高举“美国优先”旗帜，将极端民族主义和排外倾向从话语转化为政治实践。在经济领域，推行贸易保护主义政策，挥舞关税大棒，通过对全球加征关税等方式，试图维护美国本土产业利益，严重破坏全球贸易秩序；在移民领域，实施严格的移民限制政策，推动大规模抓捕遣返非法移民，公开煽动本土民众的排外情绪与狭隘民族主义，加剧了美国社会的族群对立。

A new paradigm of populist mobilization centered on social media. Traditional populism has largely relied on public speeches, rallies, or television media by political figures for mass mobilization. In contrast, contemporary right-wing populism fully exploits the communicative advantages of social media to construct a new model of political mobilization. Through social media platforms, they use simple, straightforward, and highly inflammatory language to disseminate extreme political viewpoints, deliberately amplifying negative emotions such as public anger and fear, rapidly mobilizing supporters to participate in political activities. They even directly issue policy proposals and guide public opinion through social media, surpassing the influence of traditional media and forming unique phenomena such as so-called "social media incitement," which constitutes a subversive impact on the traditional U.S. political communication system and public opinion guidance mechanisms.

以社交媒体为核心的民粹动员新范式。传统民粹主义多依赖政治人物的公开演讲、集会或电视媒体进行大众动员，而现在的右翼民粹主义则充分利用社交媒体的传播优势，构建起全新的政治动员模式。他们通过社交媒体平台，使用简单直白、极具煽动性的语言，传播极端政治观点，刻意放大民众的愤怒、恐惧等负面情绪，快速动员支持者参与政治活动，甚至直接通过社交媒体发布政策主张、引导舆论走向，超越传统媒体影响力，形成所谓“社交媒体煽动”等独特现象，对美国传统政治传播体系与舆论引导机制构成颠覆性冲击。

A distinct economic-geographic polarization. From the perspective of social base, American left-wing populism takes low-income groups in urban and rural areas, immigrants, and other grassroots strata as its main body, attributing social difficulties to the monopoly of interests by the elite stratum and the injustice of the existing system, and advocates achieving distributive fairness through reforming rules and institutions; right-wing populism, on the other hand, takes the middle class, especially white blue-collar workers in the "Rust Belt," as its core, believing that economic globalization and immigration are the main causes of damage to their own interests, opposing high taxes and healthcare reform, and excluding immigrants. From a geographic distribution perspective, left-wing populist supporters are mainly concentrated in economically developed, culturally diverse and open states on the East and West Coasts; right-wing populist supporters are mainly distributed in economically relatively backward, culturally traditional and conservative states in the central region. From an urban-rural difference perspective, urban voters are more inclined to support left-wing populism, while rural voters have a higher degree of identification with right-wing populism. Although both left-wing and right-wing populism share the characteristics of being anti-elite and anti-establishment, and are critical of economic globalization, right-wing populism is more prominent in terms of xenophobia, cultural conservatism, and extreme nationalism.

鲜明的经济—地理分化特征。从社会基础来看，美国左翼民粹主义以城乡低收入群体、外来移民等草根阶层为主体，将社会困境归咎于精英阶层的利益垄断与现有制度的不公，主张通过改革规则制度实现分配公平；右翼民粹主义则以中产阶层尤其是“铁锈地带”白人蓝领为核心，认为经济全球化与外来移民是导致自身利益受损的主要原因，反对高税收和医保改革，排斥外来移民。从地理分布来看，左翼民粹主义支持者主要集中在东西海岸经济发达、文化多元开放的州；右翼民粹主义支持者则主要分布在中部经济相对落后、文化传统保守的州。从城乡差异来看，城市选民更倾向支持左翼民粹主义，乡村选民则对右翼民粹主义的认同度更高。尽管左右翼民粹主义均具有反精英、反建制的特征，且对经济全球化持批判态度，但右翼民粹主义在排外主义、文化保守主义与极端民族主义方面表现更为突出。

III. The Real-World Impact of American Right-Wing Populism

三、美国右翼民粹主义的现实影响

The rise of American right-wing populism has not only profoundly reshaped the domestic political ecology of the United States but has also exerted multi-dimensional, systematic, and complex impacts on its economic, social, and foreign policy fields. To some extent, it reflects a response to the failure of traditional American governance models, but overall, it poses a severe challenge to the internal and external development of the United States and the international order.

美国右翼民粹主义的兴起不仅深刻重塑美国国内政治生态，更对其经济、社会及对外政策领域产生多维度、系统性的复杂影响，某种程度上反映了对美国传统治理模式失效的回应，但总体上对美国的内外发展和国际秩序构成了严峻挑战。

It impacts the foundations of the American democratic system and exacerbates bipartisan political polarization. The legitimacy of the results of the 2020 U.S. presidential election was questioned, and supporters of then-President Trump stormed the Capitol. This event not only severely damaged the credibility of the American democratic electoral system but also directly challenged core principles of constitutional democracy such as checks and balances and the peaceful transfer of power, causing a huge shock to the normal functioning order of American democratic politics. Driven by the MAGA movement [2]2 MAGA is an acronym for "Make America Great Again," the political slogan and movement associated with Donald Trump's 2016 and 2020 presidential campaigns., the degree of political polarization in the United States has further deteriorated: within the Republican Party, populist forces have risen rapidly, and traditional establishment forces have been significantly weakened or even marginalized; the differences between the two parties in ideology and policy positions have become increasingly sharp, the space for political compromise has continuously shrunk, and the government has frequently fallen into governance difficulties.

冲击美国民主制度根基，加剧两党政治极化。2020年美国总统选举结果的合法性遭到质疑，时任美国总统特朗普的支持者冲击国会山，这一事件不仅严重破坏美国民主选举制度的公信力，更直接挑战了美国权力制衡、和平权力交接等宪政民主核心原则，对美国民主政治的正常运行秩序造成巨大冲击。在MAGA运动的推动下，美国政治极化程度进一步恶化：共和党内部民粹主义势力快速崛起，传统建制派力量被大幅削弱甚至边缘化；两党在意识形态、政策主张上的分歧日益尖锐，政治妥协空间不断压缩，政府频繁陷入治理困境。

It disrupts the pattern of global trade cooperation and disturbs the international economic order. The trade protectionist policies driven by American right-wing populism have multiple negative impacts on the global economy. Since the beginning of this year, the U.S. government has imposed tariffs on countries around the world, leading to a sharp rise in import costs for American domestic enterprises, obstructed export markets, and triggering retaliatory measures from other countries, severely impacting the stability of global industrial and supply chains; American consumers face upward pressure on prices, and the living burden on low-income groups has increased. In the long run, this will also damage the competitiveness of the U.S. economy and the environment for international economic cooperation. In addition, the short-termism and instability of populist policies have led to dampened business investment confidence, chaotic market expectations, and increased volatility in the job market, not only affecting the sustainable growth of the U.S. economy but also increasing risks for the operation of the global economy.

破坏全球贸易合作格局，扰乱国际经济秩序。美国右翼民粹主义驱动下的贸易保护主义政策，对全球经济产生多重负面影响。今年以来，美国政府对全球各国加征关税，导致美国本土企业进口成本大幅上升，出口市场受阻，同时引发其他国家的反制措施，全球产业链供应链稳定遭受严重冲击；美国消费者面临物价上涨压力，低收入群体生活负担加重，长期来看也将损害美国经济的竞争力与国际经济合作环境。此外，民粹主义政策的短期性与不稳定性，导致企业投资信心受挫，市场预期混乱，就业市场波动加剧，不仅影响美国经济的可持续增长，也增加了全球经济运行的风险。

It intensifies domestic social contradictions in the United States and worsens the social public opinion environment. The spread and diffusion of American right-wing populism have further exacerbated the opposition and division among different classes, races, and regions in American society. Conflicts between supporters and opponents of the MAGA movement occur frequently, the rise of anti-immigrant sentiment triggers serious racial antagonism, the rights and interests of minority ethnic groups are damaged, and the degree of social fragmentation in the United States further intensifies. On social media platforms, populist rhetoric intertwines with disinformation and hate speech, confrontation between groups with different viewpoints escalates, and social cohesion continues to weaken.

激化美国国内社会矛盾，恶化社会舆论环境。美国右翼民粹主义的传播与扩散，进一步加剧了美国社会不同阶层、种族、地域之间的对立与分裂。MAGA运动支持者与反对者之间的冲突频发，反移民情绪的高涨引发严重的种族对立，少数族裔群体的权益受到损害，美国社会的撕裂程度进一步加剧。在社交媒体平台上，民粹主义言论与虚假信息、仇恨言论相互交织，不同观点群体之间的对抗升级，社会凝聚力持续弱化。

It promotes the expansion of unilateralist diplomacy and accelerates the turbulence of the international order. In the field of foreign policy, the foreign policy dominated by American right-wing populism exhibits a strong unilateralist and hegemonic character. In recent years, the United States has ignored international rules and multilateral cooperation mechanisms, withdrawing from important international organizations and multilateral agreements such as UNESCO, the World Health Organization, the Paris Agreement, the Iran nuclear deal, and the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty [3]3 The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF Treaty) was a 1987 agreement between the U.S. and the Soviet Union eliminating intermediate-range and shorter-range missiles; the U.S. withdrew in 2019., impacting the global multilateral trading system, climate change cooperation, and the nuclear non-proliferation regime, weakening U.S. international influence and leadership, accelerating the turbulence and restructuring of the international order, and severely damaging the stability of the global governance system. The hegemonic concept of so-called "peace through strength" pursued by the United States has led to heightened tensions in international relations and increased geopolitical risks.

推动单边主义外交扩张，加速国际秩序动荡。在外交领域，美国右翼民粹主义主导的对外政策呈现出强烈的单边主义与霸权主义色彩。近年来，美国无视国际规则与多边合作机制，退出联合国教科文组织、世界卫生组织以及巴黎协定、伊核协议、中导条约等重要国际组织与多边协定，对全球多边贸易体系、气候变化合作、核不扩散体系等造成冲击，削弱了美国的国际影响力与领导力，加速了国际秩序的动荡与重构，严重破坏全球治理体系的稳定性。而美国奉行的所谓“以实力求和平”的霸权主义理念，则导致国际关系紧张局势加剧，地缘政治风险上升。

In short, as long as deep-seated problems such as the imbalance of the U.S. economic structure, the intensification of wealth disparity, the malfunctioning of the political system, and the tearing of social culture remain unresolved, at specific historical junctures, populism will always evolve from an "underground undercurrent" into a "surface flood," exerting a sustained impact on U.S. domestic and foreign affairs. The degree of interconnection and interdependence in today's world is unprecedentedly deep, and American populism will inevitably affect global affairs. Continuously monitoring and deeply studying American populism helps us effectively understand and grasp the essence of U.S. domestic and foreign policies, and also enables us to better comprehend global politics and economics under the changes unseen in a century.

总之，只要美国经济结构失衡、贫富分化加剧、政治体制失灵、社会文化撕裂等深层次问题不解决，在特定历史节点，民粹主义总会从“地下潜流”演变为“地表洪流”，对美国内政外交产生持续性影响。当今世界相互联系、相互依存的程度空前加深，美国民粹主义不可避免也会对全球事务产生影响。持续关注和深入研究美国民粹主义，有助于我们有效理解和把握美国内外政策的实质，也使我们更好地理解百年变局下的全球政治与经济。

(Author: Professor, School of International Studies, Peking University)

（作者：北京大学国际关系学院教授）

Online Editor: Tongxin

网络编辑：同心