Trumpism and Putinism: Just Old Wine in New Bottles

Abstract

Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin are plutopopulist who are often seen as the creators of a political model or theory. However, this vision represents a fallacy because both Trump and Putin are more the result than the cause of the political system. History proves that populism is not recent both in Russia and in the United States. Indeed, it had its birthplace in Russia in the middle of the nineteenth century, and the United States had its first populist experience in that century as well. Moreover, one of the most well-known features of Russian culture is the need for a messianic and charismatic leader whose decisions must be obeyed,while the melting pot of cultures existing in the United States favors the existence of a social gap, namely in periods of economic crisis, and the emergence of a populist leader trying to ride the dissatisfaction wave. This paper proves that Trumpism and Putinism do not represent new ideologies, despite using ideological elements which were already present in American and Russian societies and cultures before Trump and Putin have reached the power. Moreover, it explains the initial close relationship between Trump and Putin and its evolution.