Populist Authoritarianism After 2023

This analysis examines the evolving nature of populist authoritarianism through the cases of Donald Trump in the United States and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Türkiye, integrating developments since 2023 and expanding on the previous literature on populist authoritarianism. It reveals an intensification and institutionalization of authoritarian tendencies in both leaders, marked by Trump’s explicit “retribution” agenda and weaponization of state apparatus, and Erdoğan’s consolidated authoritarian rule despite economic and humanitarian crises, sustained by value-based politics and identity appeals. The study highlights a deepening societal polarization in the US, driven by affective and cultural cleavages, and underscores populism’s remarkable adaptability and resilience, allowing it to maintain popular appeal even after becoming the establishment. These trends, set against a backdrop of waning Western liberal hegemony, pose persistent challenges to democratic norms and institutions globally, suggesting that populist authoritarianism is a dynamic and enduring political phenomenon. The article also makes the important suggestion that populist authoritarianism feeds on crisis and polarization.