Let’s be clear: Populism is a reaction by a certain group, when they become convinced that the intitutions of government are no longer responding to their wants and needs. It requires a pervasive perception that “things are broken” and government has been co-opted by special interests.
We associate populism with the Right, but Populism is pervading both the Right and the Left in our society.
When we automatically, take to the streets in protest marches, that is a form of Populism too, even if the causes are climate change, minority rights etc., we are doing so because we don’t trust our governmental institutions to fairly represent our concerns and to honestly pay attention to our petitions for redress.
Therefore, if you are wearing a MAGA cap or if you are on the streets for action against climate change, it’s all a form of populism even if the goals are different.
(Please note: I’m not making a statement that demonstrations are defacto wrong. Just that the root motivations are similar.)
