Donald Trump, perceptions of justice, and populism

Abstract

The populism of Donald Trump and his supporters can be viewed as rooted in feelings of relative deprivation, whereby people feel that they are getting less than they deserve in exchanges with other groups, and perceptions of unfair procedures, whereby elites are seen to allocate outcomes in an unethical, biased, and/or disrespectful manner. Populist leaders can boost people’s self-esteem and hence their sense of what they deserve and how they should be treated by establishment decision makers. Populist leaders make intergroup comparisons salient and thereby exacerbate intergroup hostility. In the United States, populist politics has shifted from emphasizing unfair economic outcomes to exploiting racist and nativist sentiments as well as cultural antagonisms. Donald Trump’s populism can be traced most directly to George Wallace’s racist populist campaigns in the 1960s. Trump has also focused on unfair decisions made about political allies. His presidency is arguably the first to ride these elements in American politics to the White House.