Far-right populism has dominated Western politics over the last decade. Examples taking place are those of the 2016 Brexit referendum, the presidency of Donald J. Trump, the victory of the Law and Justice Party in Poland, amongst others. Alongside journalists, scholars have also taken an interest within this apparent ideological swing occurring in Europe and North America – with academic literature on the populist characteristics of the presidential campaign of Donald J. Trump being produced time and time again. On the left of the political spectrum, literature on the populist characteristics of the 2016 primary campaign of Bernie Sanders has also not been ignored. However, there appears to be a gap in literature within the field on the populistic tendencies of the progressive movement within the United States. It is clear that the progressive movement has extended past the parameters and leadership of Bernie Sanders; but there remains the question of whether this can be continued to be classified as a populist movement. This research paper will explore the different approaches to recognising populism and will discuss whether the progressive movement can truly be defined as populist.
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