The Pandemic Isn’t a Death Knell for Populism
Just because populist leaders haven’t fared well against the coronavirus doesn’t mean their opponents should count them out.
In many ways, the coronavirus has been irrefutably bad for populists. It has bolstered the popularity of establishment darlings such as Germany’s Angela Merkel, New Zealand’s Jacinda Ardern, and Italy’s Giuseppe Conte. It has brought once-anonymous health experts, including the United States’ Anthony Fauci and Britain’s Chris Whitty, to the fore. It has cast some of populists’ favored wedge issues, among them immigration and the European Union, to the wayside.
At the same time, populist-ruled countries such as the U.S., Brazil, and India have been among those worst impacted by the pandemic. , , . When competent governance and expertise are at a premium, and favored antiestablishment talking points have been overshadowed,
