Climate change and right-wing populism in the United States

In recent years, the Republican Party in the United States has taken on the characteristics of right-wing populism, especially under President Donald Trump. Like most right-wing populist parties, the party under Trump is hostile to climate mitigation. This is reflected in skepticism or rejection of climate science, opposition to multilateral institutions and agreements, aggressive domestic exploitation of fossil fuels, and depiction of climate advocates and experts as 'elites' set on undermining the will of 'the people'. Among the causes of this populism are sharply growing political polarization, especially on climate and the environment, and a sorting of long-standing worldviews along party lines, leading to the election of a president with a nationalist, backward-looking agenda. This leads to drastic policy swings across administrations, among the states, and to gridlock at a national level. This stalemate will continue until one of the two competing coalitions can establish dominance nationally.

Automated summary

In recent years, the United States Republican Party, particularly under President Donald Trump, has exhibited characteristics of right-wing populism. This includes skepticism or rejection of climate science, opposition to multilateral institutions and agreements, aggressive domestic exploitation of fossil fuels, and portraying climate advocates and experts as "elites" undermining "the people's" will. The causes of this populism are growing political polarization, particularly on climate and the environment, and the alignment of long-standing worldviews along party lines, resulting in the election of a president with a nationalist and regressive agenda. This has led to significant policy swings and gridlock at the national level, which will continue until one coalition gains dominance.