Reckless populists

Populist leaders across the West seem to believe that somehow or other their fates are tied to Trump’s. It shows in the growing recklessness of their behaviour, and in the frequency of their failures. Does this mean they are all destined to vanish in his wake? Probably not, but that would be nice.

U.S. President Donald Trump, pictured Nov. 29, 2020, with his grandchildren Arabella, Theodore and Joseph Kushner. The unbridled arrogance, the self-pity, the shameless, hysterical exaggeration are all hallmarks of the new breed of ‘illiberal’ populists—and when they think they are losing, they always up the ante. I’m thinking, of course, of President Trump’s recent electoral defeat and his subsequent behaviour, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of White House Flickr

Opinion

BY GWYNNE DYER

December 7, 2020

LONDON, U.K.—“There is nothing wrong to participate in a sex party of any kind,” said a source in the European Parliament. “However, such kinds of meetings with many people are illegal under the coronavirus laws.” To be specific, 25 naked men attending a loud party above a gay bar in cent...

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