The rhetorical conflict between ethno-nationalism and financial markets dissolved once populists took power

Evidence

As is now known, where right-wing populists came to power and their ideology became policy, the veneer of rhetorical conflict between ethno-nationalism and financial markets quickly dissolved. Few commentators were surprised, for instance, in February 2017 by the announcement of President Trump’s first cabinet, which included four prominent Goldman Sachs figures in center-stage positions. Some months later, when the president made a string of racist statements in response to the August 2017 Charlottesville protests, some of the most powerful market leaders (including the chief executives of JPMorgan Chase and Blackstone and the founder of Bridgewater Capital) came out with a strong public statement of support for Trump. — Aris Komporozos-Athanasiou, Speculative Communities, 250

Categorization

• XREF: Echoes the broader argument (Mounk, Muller) that finance and right-wing populism collude despite apparent anti-elite rhetoric. — connects to: Unequal austerity generates populism, nationalism, and violent movement instead of revenue — Mark Blyth, Austerity: The History of a Dangerous…, 63; Financialization and national populism form a false binary, not opposing forces — Aris Komporozos-Athanasiou, Speculative Communities: Living with…, 390; Populist attacks on central banks intensified while technocratic crisis responses expanded — Aris Komporozos-Athanasiou, Speculative Communities: Living with…, 702 (+3 more)