Editing Republican Party (United States) (section)

==== Right-wing populists ====
{{main|Right-wing populism|Trumpism}}
{{see also|Radical right (United States)|National conservatism|Freedom Caucus}}
<!-- Please wait until JD Vance's official portrait as Vice President is posted before changing the image of Vance here. -->
[[File:J. D. Vance (53808261332).jpg|thumb|[[JD Vance]], Donald Trump's Vice President during Trump's second term. [[JD Vance#Relationship with Donald Trump|Initially critical of Trump]], Vance became a staunch advocate of [[Trumpism]] later into Trump's first term, and has been described as a [[right-wing populist]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Orr |first=James |author-link=James Orr (theologian) |date=2024-07-16 |title=JD Vance's nomination proves Trumpism is here to stay |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/07/16/vance-nomination-proves-trumpism-is-here-to-stay/ |access-date=2024-07-17 |work=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |issn=0307-1235 |archive-date=July 18, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240718054932/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/07/16/vance-nomination-proves-trumpism-is-here-to-stay/ |url-status=live }}</ref>]]
[[Right-wing populism]] is the dominant political faction of the GOP.{{efn|name="Dominant"|Attributed to multiple sources.<ref name="Global Politics"/><ref name="Smith-2021" /><ref name="Arhin-2023" /><ref name="Biebricher-2023" /><ref name="Ward 08-26-22" /><ref name="Punchbowl Old GOP" /><ref name="Kight Feb142024" /><ref name="Ball 2024"/><ref name="Aratani2021">{{cite news |last1=Aratani |first1=Lauren |title=Republicans unveil two minimum wage bills in response to Democrats' push |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/feb/26/republicans-minimum-wage-bills-senate |access-date=7 September 2021 |work=The Guardian |date=26 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210814230535/https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/feb/26/republicans-minimum-wage-bills-senate |archive-date=14 August 2021 |quote=In keeping with the party's deep division between its dominant Trumpist faction and its more traditionalist party elites, the twin responses seem aimed at appealing on one hand to its corporate-friendly allies and on the other hand to its populist rightwing base. Both have an anti-immigrant element.}}</ref><ref name="Politico 2024-02-25">{{Cite news |last1=Wren |first1=Adam |last2=Montellaro |first2=Zach |last3=Kashinsky |first3=Lisa |last4=Shepard |first4=Steven |last5=Allison |first5=Natalie |last6=Piper |first6=Jessica |date=2024-02-25 |title=Hidden in Trump's big South Carolina win: A not-so-small problem for him in November|language=en-US |work=Politico |url=https://www.politico.com/news/2024/02/24/south-carolina-takeaways-trump-haley-00143177 |access-date=2024-02-25 |archive-date=February 25, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240225173845/https://www.politico.com/news/2024/02/24/south-carolina-takeaways-trump-haley-00143177 |url-status=live |quote=From top to bottom, the Republican Party is Trump's party. There are no reliable pockets of dissent.}}</ref><ref name="x640">{{cite web | last1=Klein | first1=Rick | last2=Parks | first2=MaryAlice | title=Trumpism again dominates Republican Party | website=ABC News | date=2018-06-13 | url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/note-trumpism-dominates-republican-party/story?id=55849587 | access-date=2024-06-12 | archive-date=June 12, 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240612135011/https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/note-trumpism-dominates-republican-party/story?id=55849587 | url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="w819">{{cite web | title=Trump remains dominant force in GOP following acquittal | website=AP News | date=2021-02-14 | url=https://apnews.com/trump-remains-dominant-force-in-gop-following-acquittal-54a562159db21bd2c806c0c3c366be62 | access-date=2024-06-12 | archive-date=June 12, 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240612135007/https://apnews.com/trump-remains-dominant-force-in-gop-following-acquittal-54a562159db21bd2c806c0c3c366be62 | url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="c588">{{cite web | last=Martin | first=Jonathan | title=Trumpism Grips a Post-Policy G.O.P. as Traditional Conservatism Fades | website=The New York Times | date=2021-03-01 | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/01/us/politics/trump-republicans-policy.html | access-date=2024-06-12}}</ref><ref name="s624">{{cite web | author=The Christian Science Monitor | title=Why Trumpism is here to stay | website=The Christian Science Monitor | date=2020-11-05 | url=https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/2020/1105/Why-Trumpism-is-here-to-stay | access-date=2024-06-12 | archive-date=June 12, 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240612135009/https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/2020/1105/Why-Trumpism-is-here-to-stay | url-status=live }}</ref>}} Sometimes referred to as the [[Make America Great Again|MAGA]] or "[[America First (policy)|America First]]" movement,<ref name="University of Washington 2021">{{cite web | title=Panel Study of the MAGA Movement | website=University of Washington | date=January 6, 2021 | url=https://sites.uw.edu/magastudy/ | access-date=March 24, 2024 | archive-date=March 24, 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240324054136/https://sites.uw.edu/magastudy/ | url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Gabbatt Smith 2023">{{cite web | last1=Gabbatt | first1=Adam | last2=Smith | first2=David | title='America First 2.0': Vivek Ramaswamy pitches to be Republicans' next Trump | website=the Guardian | date=August 19, 2023 | url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/aug/19/vivek-ramaswamy-republican-presidential-nomination-candidate | access-date=March 24, 2024}}</ref> Republican populists have been described as consisting of a range of right-wing ideologies including but not limited to right-wing populism,<ref name="campani" /><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Norris |first=Pippa |date=November 2020 |title=Measuring populism worldwide |journal=Party Politics |language=en |volume=26 |issue=6 |pages=697–717 |doi=10.1177/1354068820927686 |s2cid=216298689 |issn=1354-0688|doi-access=free }}</ref><ref name="Cassidy">{{cite magazine |url=https://www.newyorker.com/news/john-cassidy/donald-trump-is-transforming-the-g-o-p-into-a-populist-nativist-party |title=Donald Trump is Transforming the G.O.P. Into a Populist, Nativist Party |last=Cassidy |first=John |magazine=[[The New Yorker]] |date=February 29, 2016 |access-date=July 22, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304225035/http://www.newyorker.com/news/john-cassidy/donald-trump-is-transforming-the-g-o-p-into-a-populist-nativist-party |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> [[national conservatism]],<ref name="Economist Feb152024">{{cite news |date=February 15, 2024 |title="National conservatives" are forging a global front against liberalism |url=https://www.economist.com/briefing/2024/02/15/national-conservatives-are-forging-a-global-front-against-liberalism |url-status=live |newspaper=[[The Economist]] |location=[[London]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240220205122/https://www.economist.com/briefing/2024/02/15/national-conservatives-are-forging-a-global-front-against-liberalism |archive-date=February 20, 2024 |url-access=subscription}}</ref> [[neo-nationalism]],<ref name="Zhou_12/8/2022">{{cite journal |last1=Zhou |first1=Shaoqing |title=The origins, characteristics and trends of neo-nationalism in the 21st century |journal=International Journal of Anthropology and Ethnology |volume=6 |issue=1 |date=December 8, 2022 |page=18 |doi=10.1186/s41257-022-00079-4 |doi-access=free |pmid=36532330 |quote=On a practical level, the United Kingdom's withdrawal from the European Union and Trump's election as the United States president are regarded as typical events of neo-nationalism.|pmc=9735003 }}</ref> and [[Trumpism]].<ref name="Ball 2024">{{cite news |last1=Ball |first1=Molly |title=The GOP Wants Pure, Uncut Trumpism |url=https://www.wsj.com/politics/elections/gop-new-hampshire-trump-haley-403080ca |access-date=February 22, 2024 |work=The Wall Street Journal |date=January 23, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240124014202/https://www.wsj.com/politics/elections/gop-new-hampshire-trump-haley-403080ca |archive-date=January 24, 2024 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Katzenstein2019">{{cite news |last1=Katzenstein |first1=Peter J. |author-link=Peter J. Katzenstein |title=Trumpism is US |url=https://www.wzb.eu/en/news/trumpism-is-us |access-date=11 September 2021 |work=WZB {{!}} Berlin Social Science Center |date=20 March 2019 |archive-date=February 15, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210215222927/https://www.wzb.eu/en/news/trumpism-is-us |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="DiSalvo2022">{{cite magazine |last1=DiSalvo |first1=Daniel |author-link=Daniel DiSalvo |date=Fall 2022 |title=Party Factions and American Politics |url=https://www.nationalaffairs.com/publications/detail/party-factions-and-american-politics |journal=National Affairs |access-date=April 11, 2023 |archive-date=March 23, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230323210441/https://www.nationalaffairs.com/publications/detail/party-factions-and-american-politics |url-status=live }}</ref> They have been described as the American political variant of the [[Radical right (United States)|far-right]].{{efn|Attributed to the following sources.<ref name="Lowndes_978">{{cite book |last1=Lowndes |first1=Joseph |editor-last=de la Torre |editor-first=Carlos |title=Routledge Handbook of Global Populism |publisher=[[Routledge]] |chapter=Populism and race in the United States from George Wallace to Donald Trump |isbn=978-1315226446 |date=2019 |location=London & New York |at="Trumpism" section, pp. 197–200 |quote=Trump unabashedly employed the language of white supremacy and misogyny, rage and even violence at Trump rallies was like nothing seen in decades.}}</ref><ref name="Bennhold_11/20/2020">{{Cite news |last1=Bennhold |first1=Katrin |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/07/world/europe/germany-trump-far-right.html |title=Trump Emerges as Inspiration for Germany's Far Right |date=September 7, 2020 |work=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=November 20, 2020 |archive-date=November 20, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201120233123/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/07/world/europe/germany-trump-far-right.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Gardner Charles 2023 p. 31">{{cite book | last1=Gardner | first1=J.A. | last2=Charles | first2=G.U. | title=Election Law in the American Political System | publisher=Aspen Publishing | series=Aspen Casebook Series | year=2023 | isbn=978-1-5438-2683-8 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZViqEAAAQBAJ&pg=PT31 | access-date=2023-12-31 | page=31}}</ref><ref name="x640"/><ref name="w819"/><ref name="c588"/><ref name="s624"/>}} The election of Trump in 2016 split the party into pro-Trump and [[Never Trump movement|anti-Trump]] factions.<ref name ="Johnson-McCray-Ragusa 2018" /><ref name ="Swartz2022" />

The Republican Party's populist and [[Far-right politics#United States|far-right]] movements emerged in concurrence with a global increase in populist movements in the 2010s and 2020s,<ref name="Isaac2017"/><ref name="Maxwell 2019">{{cite news |last=Maxwell |first=Rahsaan |date=5 March 2019 |title=Analysis {{!}} Why are urban and rural areas so politically divided? |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/03/05/why-are-urban-rural-areas-so-politically-divided/ |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201030180433/https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/03/05/why-are-urban-rural-areas-so-politically-divided/ |archive-date=30 October 2020 |access-date=6 May 2024 |newspaper=The Washington Post |issn=0190-8286|quote=In general, the core supporters of right-wing populist political parties across Europe are in more rural areas, where they feel left behind by the globalized economy and alienated from the multiculturalism of European capitals.}}</ref> coupled with entrenchment and increased partisanship within the party since 2010.<ref name="Lowndes 2021 q431">{{cite news | last=Lowndes | first=Joseph | title=Far-right extremism dominates the GOP. It didn't start — and won't end — with Trump | newspaper=Washington Post | date=2021-11-08 | url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2021/11/08/far-right-extremism-dominates-gop-it-didnt-start-wont-end-with-trump/ | access-date=2023-12-31}}</ref> This included the rise of the [[Tea Party movement]], which has also been described as far-right.<ref name="Blum pp. 88–109">{{cite journal | last1=Blum | first1=Rachel M. |last2=Cowburn |first2=Mike | title=How Local Factions Pressure Parties: Activist Groups and Primary Contests in the Tea Party Era | journal=British Journal of Political Science | date=2024 | publisher=Cambridge University Press | volume=54 | issue=1 | pages=88–109 | doi=10.1017/S0007123423000224 | url=https://ideas.repec.org/a/cup/bjposi/v54y2024i1p88-109_5.html | access-date=2023-12-31}}</ref> Trump's election in 2024 was part of a global backlash against incumbent parties,<ref name="graveyard">{{Cite news |last=Burn-Murdoch |first=John |date=2024-11-07 |title=Democrats join 2024’s graveyard of incumbents |url=https://www.ft.com/content/e8ac09ea-c300-4249-af7d-109003afb893 |access-date=2024-12-05 |work=Financial Times}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.vox.com/2024-elections/383208/donald-trump-victory-kamala-harris-global-trend-incumbents|title=The global trend that pushed Donald Trump to victory|website=Vox|first1=Zack|last1=Beauchamp|date=November 6, 2024|quote=Incumbents everywhere are doing poorly. America just proved it's not exceptional.}}</ref> in part due to the [[2021-2023 inflation surge]].<ref name="Global Politics">{{Cite web|url=https://www.wsj.com/world/global-politics-conservative-right-shift-ea0e8d05|title=The Progressive Moment in Global Politics is Over|date=December 27, 2024|access-date=December 27, 2024|first1=Bertrand|last1=Benoit|first2=David|last2=Luhnow|first3=Vipal|last3=Monga|website=The Wall Street Journal|quote=Weak economic growth and record immigration are driving gains by the right, especially populists.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Burn-Murdoch |first=John |date=2024-12-29 |title=What the ‘year of democracy’ taught us, in 6 charts
|url=https://www.ft.com/content/350ba985-bb07-4aa3-aa5e-38eda7c525dd |access-date=2024-12-30 |work=Financial Times|quote=The billions who voted in 2024 sent an angry message to incumbents, and warmed to populists on left and right}}</ref>

Businessman [[Elon Musk]], the wealthiest individual in the world and owner of the social media platform [[Twitter|X (formerly Twitter)]], is a notable proponent of right-wing populism.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Siddiqui |first1=Faiz |last2=Merrill |first2=Jeremy B. |date=August 12, 2024 |title=Elon Musk's X feed becomes megaphone for his far-right politics |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/08/11/musk-x-feed-politics-trump/ |access-date=August 12, 2024 |newspaper=Washington Post |language=en-US |issn=0190-8286 |archive-date=August 14, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240814155420/https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/08/11/musk-x-feed-politics-trump/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=July 17, 2024 |title=Elon Musk's 'Final Straw' Moment Marks Political Transformation |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-07-17/elon-musk-s-final-straw-moment-marks-political-transformation |access-date=July 31, 2024 |work=Bloomberg.com |language=en |archive-date=July 17, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240717200027/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-07-17/elon-musk-s-final-straw-moment-marks-political-transformation |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Dorn |first=Sara |title=Elon Musk's Political Shift: How The Billionaire Moved From Backing Obama To Endorsing DeSantis |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/saradorn/2022/11/27/elon-musks-political-shift-how-the-billionaire-moved-from-backing-obama-to-endorsing-desantis/ |access-date=July 31, 2024 |website=Forbes |language=en |archive-date=August 6, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240806051359/https://www.forbes.com/sites/saradorn/2022/11/27/elon-musks-political-shift-how-the-billionaire-moved-from-backing-obama-to-endorsing-desantis/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Warzel |first=Charlie |date=December 11, 2022 |title=Elon Musk Is a Far-Right Activist |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2022/12/elon-musk-twitter-far-right-activist/672436/ |access-date=July 31, 2024 |website=The Atlantic |language=en |archive-date=December 12, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221212052001/https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2022/12/elon-musk-twitter-far-right-activist/672436/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Musk is a vocal and financial supporter of Donald Trump, and was the largest political donor of the 2024 presidential election.<ref>{{Cite news |date=July 29, 2024 |title=How Elon Musk came to endorse Donald Trump |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/07/29/musk-trump-endorsement-immigration/ |access-date=November 9, 2024 |newspaper=Washington Post |archive-date=September 19, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240919110730/https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/07/29/musk-trump-endorsement-immigration/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=elon musk far right wing: Led by Elon Musk, Silicon Valley inches to the right - The Economic Times |url=https://m.economictimes.com/tech/technology/led-by-elon-musk-silicon-valley-inches-to-the-right/amp_articleshow/108361364.cms |access-date=July 31, 2024 |website=m.economictimes.com |archive-date=July 31, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240731003556/https://m.economictimes.com/tech/technology/led-by-elon-musk-silicon-valley-inches-to-the-right/amp_articleshow/108361364.cms |url-status=live }}</ref>

According to political scientists Matt Grossmann and David A. Hopkins, the Republican Party's gains among white voters without college degrees and corresponding losses among white voters with college degrees contributed to the rise of right-wing populism.<ref name="cambridge.org">{{Cite web|url=https://www.cambridge.org/us/universitypress/subjects/politics-international-relations/american-government-politics-and-policy/polarized-degrees-how-diploma-divide-and-culture-war-transformed-american-politics#contentsTabAnchor|title=Polarized by Degrees: How the Diploma Divide and the Culture War Transformed American Politics|first1=Matt|last1=Grossmann|first2=David A.|last2=Hopkins|website=Cambridge University Press|access-date=May 23, 2024|quote=Democrats have become the home of highly-educated citizens with progressive social views who prefer credentialed experts to make policy decisions, while Republicans have become the populist champions of white voters without college degrees who increasingly distrust teachers, scientists, journalists, universities, non-profit organizations, and even corporations.}}</ref> Until 2016, white voters with college degrees were a Republican-leaning group, but have since become a Democratic-leaning group.<ref name="Nate Silver"/><ref name="Harry Enten">{{cite web|url=https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/even-among-the-wealthy-education-predicts-trump-support/|title=Even Among The Wealthy, Education Predicts Trump Support|date=November 29, 2016|first1=Harry|last1=Enten|website=FiveThirtyEight|quote=First, it's clear from the exit polls that for white voters, every bit of extra education meant less support for Trump. ... Second, education matters a lot even when separating out income levels. ... Third, Trump saw little difference in his support between income levels within each education group.}}</ref> In the [[2020 United States presidential election|2020 presidential election]], [[Joe Biden]] became the first Democratic president to win a majority of white voters with college degrees (51–48%) since [[1964 United States presidential election|1964]], while Trump won white voters without college degrees 67–32%.<ref>{{Cite news|title=National Results 2020 President exit polls.|url=https://www.cnn.com/election/2020/exit-polls/president/national-results|access-date=2020-12-04|work=[[CNN]]|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Election Polls – Vote by Groups, 1960–1964 |url=http://www.gallup.com/poll/9454/Election-Polls-Vote-Groups-19601964.aspx |website=[[Gallup (company)|Gallup]] |access-date=June 30, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110726155334/http://www.gallup.com/poll/9454/Election-Polls-Vote-Groups-19601964.aspx |archive-date=July 26, 2011}}</ref><ref name="Polarization by education"/>

In the [[2024 United States presidential election|2024 presidential election]], Trump again won white voters without college degrees 66-32%, while losing white voters with college degrees 45-52%. Trump nearly won Hispanic voters 46-52%, while losing Asian voters 39-54% and African American voters 13-86%.<ref name="2024 Exit poll">{{cite news|date=November 6, 2024|title=Exit poll results 2024|url=https://www.cnn.com/election/2024/exit-polls/national-results/general/president/0|access-date=November 6, 2024|publisher=CNN}}</ref><ref name="Lost Their">{{Cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/25/upshot/democrats-trump-working-class.html|title=How Democrats Lost Their Base and their Message|quote=Donald Trump's populist pitch bumped Democrats off their traditional place in American politics.|website=The New York Times|first1=Nate|last1=Cohn|date=November 25, 2024|access-date=November 25, 2024}}</ref> By education, Trump won voters with [[High school in the United States|High school or less]]	62-36%, some college education	51-47%, and an [[Associate degree]] 57-41%. Trump lost voters with a Bachelor's degree 45-53% and voters with	a [[Postgraduate education|graduate degree]] 38-59%.<ref name="2024 Exit poll"/> Trump increased his support from Hispanics, especially near the [[Mexico–United States border|Mexican–American border]] and in areas impacted by recent immigration.<ref name="went wrong">{{cite web |date=November 6, 2024 |title=What went wrong for Kamala Harris? |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/global-trends/us-presidential-election-results-what-went-wrong-for-kamala-harris/articleshow/115041640.cms |access-date=November 7, 2024 |work=The Economic Times |issn=0013-0389}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2024/12/democrats-latino-vote-immigration/680945/|title=Why Democrats Got the Politics of Immigration So Wrong for So Long|first1=Rogé|last1=Karma|website=The Atlantic|date=December 10, 2024|access-date=December 30, 2024}}</ref> [[Nate Cohn]] of ''The New York Times'' stated that Trump had made larger gains with racial minority voters than with white voters without college degrees compared to the [[2012 United States presidential election|2012 presidential election]] (the last pre-Trump election), with the Democratic Party's gains being mainly just among white voters with college degrees.<ref name="Lost Their"/>

According to historian [[Gary Gerstle]], Trumpism gained support in opposition to [[neoliberalism]], including opposition to [[free trade]], [[Opposition to immigration|immigration]], [[Globalization#Economic globalization|globalization]], and [[Liberal internationalism|internationalism]].<ref name="Gerstle2022"/><ref name="Maxwell 2019"/> Trump won the 2016 and 2024 presidential elections by winning states in the [[Rust Belt]] that had suffered from [[population decline]] and [[deindustrialization]], specifically [[Wisconsin]], [[Michigan]], and [[Pennsylvania]].<ref name="Revolt of the Rust Belt">{{cite journal|title=The revolt of the Rust Belt: place and politics in the age of anger|journal=The British Journal of Sociology|volume=68|issue=S1|pages=S120–S152|first=Michael|last=McQuarrie|date=November 8, 2017|doi=10.1111/1468-4446.12328|pmid=29114874|s2cid=26010609 |doi-access=free}}</ref><ref name="Fallen Behind">{{Cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/10/26/upshot/census-relative-income.html|title=They Used to Be Ahead in the American Economy. Now They've Fallen Behind.|date=October 26, 2024|first1=Emily|last1=Badger|first2=Robert|last2=Gebeloff|first3=Aatish|last3=Bhatia|website=The New York Times|access-date=October 26, 2024}}</ref> Compared to other Republicans, the populist faction is more likely to oppose [[immigration|legal immigration]],<ref name="Baker-2020">{{cite book |last1=Baker |first1=Paula |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=547UDwAAQBAJ |title=The Oxford Handbook of American Political History |last2=Critchlow |first2=Donald T. |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2020 |isbn=978-0190628697 |page=387 |quote="Contemporary debate is fueled on one side by immigration restrictionists, led by President Donald Trump and other elected republicans, whose rhetorical and policy assaults on undocumented Latin American immigrants, Muslim refugees, and family-based immigration energized their conservative base." |via=Google Books |access-date=April 23, 2021 |archive-date=December 15, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231215023724/https://books.google.com/books?id=547UDwAAQBAJ |url-status=live }}</ref> free trade,<ref>{{Cite book |last=Jones |first=Kent |title=Populism and Trade: The Challenge to the Global Trading System |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |year=2021 |isbn=978-0190086350 |chapter=Populism, Trade, and Trump's Path to Victory}}</ref> [[neoconservatism]],<ref>{{Cite magazine |last1=Smith |first1=Jordan Michael |last2=Logis |first2=Rich |last3=Logis |first3=Rich |last4=Shephard |first4=Alex |last5=Shephard |first5=Alex |last6=Kipnis |first6=Laura |last7=Kipnis |first7=Laura |last8=Haas |first8=Lidija |last9=Haas |first9=Lidija |date=October 17, 2022 |title=The Neocons Are Losing. Why Aren't We Happy? |magazine=The New Republic |url=https://newrepublic.com/article/168045/neoconservative-isolationism-republican-party |access-date=May 5, 2023 |issn=0028-6583 |archive-date=May 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230505163722/https://newrepublic.com/article/168045/neoconservative-isolationism-republican-party |url-status=live }}</ref> and [[Environmentalism|environmental protection laws]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Arias-Maldonado |first=Manuel |date=January 2020 |title=Sustainability in the Anthropocene: Between Extinction and Populism |journal=Sustainability |language=en |volume=12 |issue=6 |pages=2538 |doi=10.3390/su12062538 |issn=2071-1050 |doi-access=free}}</ref>

According to sociologist [[Arlie Russell Hochschild]], Trump successfully appealed to "the elite of the left-behind," meaning people "who were doing well within a region that was not." Although many of Trump's voters did not live in [[Affluence in the United States|affluent areas]], they were still richer than their neighbors in areas with a lower [[cost of living]].<ref name="Fallen Behind"/><ref>{{Cite web|date=September 4, 2024|access-date=December 9, 2024|first1=Zack|last1=Beauchamp|website=Vox|title=Trump's biggest fans aren't who you think|quote=But when you factored in local conditions — the fact that your dollar can buy more in Biloxi than Boston — the relationship reverses. "Locally rich" white people, those who had higher incomes than others in their zip codes, were much more likely to support Trump than those who were locally poor. These people might make less money than a wealthy person in a big city, but were doing relatively well when compared to their neighbors. Put those two results together, and you get a picture that aligns precisely with Hochschild’s observations. Trump’s strongest support comes from people who live in poorer parts of the country, like [[Kentucky's 5th congressional district|KY-5]], but are still able to live a relatively comfortable life there.|url=https://www.vox.com/politics/369797/trump-support-class-local-rich-arlie-hochschild}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|access-date=December 9, 2024|url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0261379419300691|title=Nationally poor, locally rich: Income and local context in the 2016 presidential election|quote=When social scientists examine relationships between income and voting decisions, their measures implicitly compare people to others in the national economic distribution. Yet an absolute income level (e.g., $57,617 per year, the 2016 national median) does not have the same meaning in Clay County, Georgia, where the 2016 median income was $22,100, as it does in Old Greenwich, Connecticut, where the median income was $224,000. ... The results show that Trump's support was concentrated among nationally poor whites but also among locally affluent whites, complicating claims about the role of income in that election. This pattern suggests that social scientists would do well to conceive of income in relative terms: relative to one's neighbors.|first1=Thomas|last1=Ogorzalek|first2=Spencer|last2=Piston|first3=Luisa Godinez|last3=Puig|journal=Electoral Studies |date=October 2020 |volume=67 |doi=10.1016/j.electstud.2019.102068 }}</ref> Trump won the [[2024 United States presidential election|2024 presidential election]] by successfully convincing voters through his promises of fixing the economy and blocking the flow of immigrants at the border.<ref name="Peoples & Barrow 2024">{{cite web | last1=Peoples|first1= Steve|last2=Barrow|first2= Bill|date=November 6, 2024 |title=Election takeaways: Trump's decisive victory in a deeply divided nation |url=https://apnews.com/article/trump-harris-presidential-election-takeaways-d0e4677f4cd53b4d2d8d18d674be5bf4 |access-date=November 11, 2024 |website=AP News}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Goldmacher |first1=Shane |last2=Haberman |first2=Maggie |last3=Swan |first3=Jonathan |title=How Trump Won, and How Harris Lost |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/07/us/politics/trump-win-election-harris.html |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=November 7, 2024 |issn=1553-8095 |access-date=November 8, 2024}}</ref>

In international relations, populists support U.S. aid to Israel but not to Ukraine,<ref name="Falk 2023 t804">{{cite web | last=Falk | first=Thomas O | title=Why are US Republicans pushing for aid to Israel but not Ukraine? | website=Al Jazeera | date=2023-11-08 | url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/11/8/why-are-us-republicans-pushing-for-aid-to-israel-but-not-ukraine | access-date=2023-12-31 | archive-date=December 31, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231231160206/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/11/8/why-are-us-republicans-pushing-for-aid-to-israel-but-not-ukraine | url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Riccardi">{{Cite news |last=Riccardi |first=Nicholas |date=February 19, 2024 |title=Stalled US aid for Ukraine underscores GOP's shift away from confronting Russia |url=https://thehill.com/homenews/house/4492514-gop-strained-by-trump-influenced-shift-from-reagan-on-russia/ |access-date=February 28, 2024 |agency=[[Associated Press]] |archive-date=February 28, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240228121816/https://thehill.com/homenews/house/4492514-gop-strained-by-trump-influenced-shift-from-reagan-on-russia/ |url-status=live }}</ref> are generally supportive of improving relations with [[Russia]],<ref name="Lillis">{{Cite news |last=Lillis |first=Mike |date=February 28, 2024 |title=GOP strained by Trump-influenced shift from Reagan on Russia |url=https://thehill.com/homenews/house/4492514-gop-strained-by-trump-influenced-shift-from-reagan-on-russia/ |access-date=February 28, 2024 |work=[[The Hill (newspaper)|The Hill]] |quote=Experts say a variety of factors have led to the GOP's more lenient approach to Moscow, some of which preceded Trump's arrival on the political scene ... Trump's popularity has only encouraged other Republicans to adopt a soft-gloves approach to Russia. |archive-date=February 28, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240228121816/https://thehill.com/homenews/house/4492514-gop-strained-by-trump-influenced-shift-from-reagan-on-russia/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Ball">{{Cite news |last=Ball |first=Molly |date=February 23, 2024 |title=How Trump Turned Conservatives Against Helping Ukraine |url=https://www.wsj.com/politics/elections/how-trump-turned-conservatives-against-helping-ukraine-d9f75b3b |access-date=February 28, 2024 |work=[[The Wall Street Journal]]}}</ref><ref name="Jonathan">{{Cite web |last=Jonathan |first=Chait |date=February 23, 2024 |title=Russian Dolls Trump has finally remade Republicans into Putin's playthings. |url=https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/donald-trump-republicans-vladimir-putin-puppets.html |access-date=February 28, 2024 |work=[[New York (magazine)|Intelligencer]] |quote=But during his time in office and after, Trump managed to create, from the grassroots up, a Republican constituency for Russia-friendly policy ... Conservatives vying to be the Trumpiest of them all have realized that supporting Russia translates in the Republican mind as a proxy for supporting Trump. Hence the politicians most willing to defend his offenses against democratic norms — Marjorie Taylor Greene, Jim Jordan, Tommy Tuberville, Mike Lee, J. D. Vance — hold the most anti-Ukraine or pro-Russia views. Conversely, the least-Trumpy Republicans, such as Mitch McConnell and Mitt Romney, have the most hawkish views on Russia. The rapid growth of Trump's once-unique pro-Russia stance is a gravitational function of his personality cult. |archive-date=February 29, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240229043453/https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/donald-trump-republicans-vladimir-putin-puppets.html |url-status=live }}</ref> and favor an [[isolationism|isolationist]] "[[America First (policy)|America First]]" foreign policy agenda.<ref name="Lange"/><ref name="New York Times"/><ref name="Baker"/><ref name="Cohn2023"/>

The party's far-right faction includes members of the [[Freedom Caucus]].<ref name="Chatelain 2023 d086">{{cite web | last=Chatelain | first=Ryan | title=Freedom Caucus issues demands for raising debt limit | website=Spectrum News NY1 | date=2023-03-10 | url=https://ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/politics/2023/03/10/freedom-caucus-issues-demands-for-raising-debt-limit | access-date=2023-12-31}}</ref><ref name="NBC4 Washington 2023 e016">{{cite web | title=Far-right Republicans drafted a short-term funding bill with GOP centrists. It's now at risk of collapse. | website=NBC4 Washington | date=2023-09-19 | url=https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/politics/far-right-republicans-drafted-a-short-term-funding-bill-with-gop-centrists-its-now-at-risk-of-collapse/3426059/ | access-date=2023-12-31}}</ref><ref name="Hulse 2023 y458">{{cite web | last=Hulse | first=Carl | title=In Mike Johnson, Far-Right Republicans Find a Speaker They Can Embrace | website=The New York Times | date=2023-10-25 | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/25/us/politics/mike-johnson-republican-house-speaker.html | access-date=2023-12-31}}</ref><ref name="Mascaro Freking Amiri 2023 a302">{{cite web | last1=Mascaro | first1=Lisa | last2=Freking | first2=Kevin | last3=Amiri | first3=Farnoush | title=Republicans pick Jim Jordan as nominee for House speaker, putting job within the Trump ally's reach | website=AP News | date=2023-10-13 | url=https://apnews.com/article/house-republicans-scalise-jordan-mccarthy-trump-ced017e71de967a7e327cba7e502926a | access-date=2023-12-31}}</ref> Former representative [[Matt Gaetz]], who is affiliated with the populist faction, led [[Removal of Kevin McCarthy as Speaker of the House|the 2023 rebellion against then-Speaker of the House]] [[Kevin McCarthy]].<ref name="Al Jazeera 2023 n655">{{cite web | title=Kevin McCarthy removed as US House speaker in unprecedented vote | website=Al Jazeera | date=2023-10-03 | url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/10/3/us-house-speaker-mccarthy-removed-from-role-in-unprecedented-vote | access-date=2023-12-31}}</ref><ref name="Vargas 2023 x488">{{cite web | last=Vargas | first=Ramon Antonio | title=Matt Gaetz says ousting of Kevin McCarthy was worth risk of losing seat | website=The Guardian | date=2023-10-09 | url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/oct/09/matt-gaetz-kevin-mccarthy-ouster-worth-risk-losing-seat | access-date=2023-12-31}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|quote=Gaetz has also emerged as the embodiment of the populist wing of the G.O.P.|work=New Yorker|title=Matt Gaetz's Chaos Agenda|date=February 19, 2024|url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2024/02/26/matt-gaetz-profile}}</ref> Former Democratic Representative [[Tulsi Gabbard]], who joined the Republican Party in 2024, has also been described as embracing populist policies.<ref>{{cite news|work=India Today|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/global/story/tulsi-gabbard-endorses-donald-trump-from-devout-democrat-to-maga-republican-2589175-2024-08-28|date=August 28, 2024|title=Tulsi Gabbard endorses Donald Trump: From devout democrat to MAGA republican}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=Time|date=October 23, 2024|title=A Brief History of Tulsi Gabbard's Evolution—From Democratic 'Star' to MAGA Republican|url=https://time.com/7096376/tulsi-gabbard-democrat-republican-political-evolution-history-trump/}}</ref> They generally reject compromise within the party and with the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrats]],<ref name="Collinson 2023 n804">{{cite web | last=Collinson | first=Stephen | title=McCarthy became the latest victim of Trump's extreme GOP revolution | website=CNN | date=2023-10-04 | url=https://edition.cnn.com/2023/10/04/politics/mccarthy-victim-trump-gop-revolution/index.html | access-date=2023-12-31 | archive-date=December 31, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231231160206/https://edition.cnn.com/2023/10/04/politics/mccarthy-victim-trump-gop-revolution/index.html | url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Rocha 2023 k444">{{cite web | last=Rocha | first=Alander | title=Mike Rogers says of 'far-right wing' of GOP: 'You can't get rid of them' | website=AL | date=2023-09-07 | url=https://www.al.com/news/2023/09/mike-rogers-says-far-right-wing-of-gop-act-like-my-kids-you-cant-get-rid-of-them.html | access-date=2023-12-31}}</ref> and are willing to oust fellow Republican office holders they deem to be too moderate.<ref name="Macpherson 2021 r371">{{cite web | last=Macpherson | first=James | title=Far right tugs at North Dakota Republican Party | website=AP News | date=2021-07-24 | url=https://apnews.com/article/government-and-politics-north-dakota-8fce64375abe042324cf26b4c82d57bf | access-date=2023-12-31}}</ref><ref name="Times-Herald.com 2023 x358">{{cite web | title=Fringe activists threaten Georgia GOP's political future | website=The Times Herald | date=2023-05-15 | url=https://www.times-herald.com/opinion/fringe-activists-threaten-georgia-gop-s-political-future/article_b3fd5a4a-f33f-11ed-901d-7fbbbf28e09e.html | access-date=2023-12-31}}</ref> According to sociologist [[Joe Feagin]], political polarization by racially extremist Republicans as well as their increased attention from conservative media has perpetuated the near extinction of moderate Republicans and created legislative paralysis at numerous government levels in the last few decades.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Feagin |first=Joe R. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tPGyEAAAQBAJ&pg=PT5 |title=White Minority Nation: Past, Present and Future |date=2023-04-25 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn=978-1-000-86223-2 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2022-03-17 |title=Where Does American Democracy Go From Here? - The New York Times |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/03/17/magazine/democracy.html |access-date=2024-11-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220317090219/https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/03/17/magazine/democracy.html |archive-date=March 17, 2022 |last1=Homans |first1=Charles }}</ref>

[[Julia Azari]], an associate professor of political science at [[Marquette University]], noted that not all populist Republicans are public supporters of Donald Trump, and that some Republicans such as [[Governor of Virginia|Virginia Governor]] [[Glenn Youngkin]] endorse Trump policies while distancing themselves from Trump as a person.<ref name="j483">{{cite web |last=Azari |first=Julia |date=2022-03-15 |title=How Republicans Are Thinking About Trumpism Without Trump |url=https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/how-republicans-are-thinking-about-trumpism-without-trump/ |access-date=2024-09-04 |website=FiveThirtyEight}}</ref><ref name="Youngkin">{{Cite news |title=The two sides of Youngkin: Virginia's new governor calls for unity but keeps stoking volatile issues |language=en-US |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/02/13/virginia-governor-youngkin-seeks-unity-stokes-division/ |access-date=2022-03-26 |issn=0190-8286 |archive-date=February 26, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220226201944/https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/02/13/virginia-governor-youngkin-seeks-unity-stokes-division/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The continued dominance of Trump within the GOP has limited the success of this strategy.<ref name="i073">{{cite magazine |last=Shephard |first=Alex |date=2023-08-01 |title=The End of "Trumpism Without Trump" |url=https://newrepublic.com/article/174746/trump-desantis-polling-gop-primary |access-date=2024-09-04 |magazine=The New Republic|quote=The former president's primary rivals thought that they could pass themselves off as a better version of the real thing. They thought wrong.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.politico.com/news/2023/06/17/trump-indictment-election-2024-polling-00102522 |title=Trump cruises, DeSantis flatlines in polling even after bombshell indictment |date=June 17, 2023 |last=Shepard |first=Steven |work=[[Politico]] |access-date=June 17, 2023 |archive-date=June 17, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230617115011/https://www.politico.com/news/2023/06/17/trump-indictment-election-2024-polling-00102522 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="c660">{{cite web |date=2024-08-09 |title=Why JD Vance Is Unpopular and Project 2025 Has Gone Underground |url=https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/trump-vance-project-2025-unpopular/ |access-date=2024-09-04 |website=The Nation}}</ref> In 2024, Trump led a takeover of the [[Republican National Committee]], installing [[Lara Trump]] as its new co-chair.<ref>{{cite news|work=The Guardian|title=RNC: Trump coup complete with loyalist as chair and daughter-in-law as co-chair|date=8 March 2024|url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/mar/08/trump-rnc-takeover}}</ref>