--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: American populist politics has a long…" description: "\"American populist politics has a long tradition, from Andrew Jackson to Huey Long to Joseph McCarthy. But the politician Trump is most like could be Ge..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de2/joy-reid-6005_american_american-populist-politics-has-a-long-tr_2947691.jpg" --- # American populist politics has a long tradition, from… ![“American populist politics has a long tradition, from Andrew Jackson to Huey Long to Joseph McCarthy. But the politician Trump is most like could be George Wallace.” quote by Joy Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de2/joy-reid-6005_american_american-populist-politics-has-a-long-tr_2947691.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de2/joy-reid-6005_american_american-populist-politics-has-a-long-tr_2947691.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de2/joy-reid-6005_american_american-populist-politics-has-a-long-tr_2947691.jpg) > “American populist politics has a long tradition, from Andrew Jackson to Huey Long to Joseph McCarthy. But the politician Trump is most like could be George Wallace.” [Joy Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-reid/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Notes a tradition of American populist politics and compares Trump to George Wallace, suggesting a similarity in style or appeal. **In simple terms:** Trump resembles past populist figures like Wallace. Key Takeaway Recognize patterns in politics. Themes politics populism history Mood critical analytical Type political historical When to use this quote - election analysis - public discourse - media commentary Key Concepts comparative politics American history Questions to Reflect On - What traits link Trump and Wallace? - How does populism evolve? A Different Perspective Comparisons can be oversimplified. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [American](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american/) [American Populist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-populist-4426246/) [Andrew Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/andrew-jackson/) [George w](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/george-w/) [George wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/george-wallace/) [Huey Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/huey-long-217752/) [Joseph mccarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/joseph-mccarthy/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [Politician Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politician-trump-4426248/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Politics Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics-long-1435785/) [Populist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/populist/) [Populist Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/populist-politics-4426247/) [Tradition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tradition/) [Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trump/) ## Related quotes > [It has become commonplace to call Trump a reality TV star. That is said as an aspersion, the way Ronald Reagan was called an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-cohen/it-has-become-commonplace-to-call-trump-a-reality-tv-star-that-is/) [Richard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-cohen/) > [We've always believed that popular culture and populist politics go hand in hand. It's an honor to be working with so many respected and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-pariser/we-ve-always-believed-that-popular-culture-and-populist-politics-go/) [Eli Pariser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-pariser/) > [“Wait till Buzz takes charge of us. A real Fascist dictatorship!" "Nonsense! Nonsense!" snorted Tasbrough. "That couldn't happen here in America, not possibly! We're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sinclair-lewis/wait-till-buzz-takes-charge-of-us-a-real-fascist-dictatorship/) [Sinclair Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sinclair-lewis/) > [“Anthony Howard, then editor of the left-wing New Statesman , once pointed out that if Huey Long had only used left-wing phraseology he would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-conquest/anthony-howard-then-editor-of-the-left-wing-new-statesman-once/) [Robert Conquest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-conquest/) > [“I came to the state twenty years ago from the South, the gothic South. I’ve heard it called that, haven’t you, Mister Morgan? ‘Thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackson-burnett/i-came-to-the-state-twenty-years-ago-from-the-south-the-gothic-south/) [Jackson Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackson-burnett/) > [When President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal eased but did not end the country's economic ills, a trio of leftist radicals - Sen. Huey…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dallek/when-president-franklin-d-roosevelt-s-new-deal-eased-but-did-not-end/) [Robert Dallek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dallek/) > [American populism is no stranger to our political life. From the earliest anti-Federalists to William Jennings Bryan, Huey Long, and George Wallace, and many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-wilson/american-populism-is-no-stranger-to-our-political-life-from-the/) [Rick Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-wilson/) > [“It caused my opposition to any ideologies—Marxist, Fascist, National Socialist, what you will—because they were incompatible with science in the rational sense of critical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-voegelin/it-caused-my-opposition-to-any-ideologies-marxist-fascist-national/) [eric voegelin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-voegelin/) > [“Why, there’s no country in the world that can get more hysterical—yes, or more obsequious!—than America. Look how Huey Long became absolute monarch over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sinclair-lewis/why-there-s-no-country-in-the-world-that-can-get-more-hysterical-yes/) [Sinclair Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sinclair-lewis/) > [“And empathy? Even Trump’s former mentor, the notorious Roy Cohn, lawyer for gangsters and Joseph McCarthy, said that when it came to his feelings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bandy-x-lee/and-empathy-even-trump-s-former-mentor-the-notorious-roy-cohn-lawyer/) [Bandy X Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bandy-x-lee/) > [As a lifelong student of the world’s wisdom literature, it is my duty to inform students that “ridding the world of evil” is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-james-duncan/as-a-lifelong-student-of-the-world-s-wisdom-literature-it-is-my-duty/) [David James Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-james-duncan/) > [“And as for people shunning us because of our known association with homosexuals”—here she wiggled her eyebrows, because she sounded ridiculously like Joseph McCarthy—“I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-spencer-fleming/and-as-for-people-shunning-us-because-of-our-known-association-with/) [Julia Spencer-Fleming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-spencer-fleming/) > [Joseph McCarthy, the Junior Republican Senator from Wisconsin, ruled America like devil king for four years. His purges were an American mirror image of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-gellhorn/joseph-mccarthy-the-junior-republican-senator-from-wisconsin-ruled/) [Martha Gellhorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-gellhorn/) > [“Earlier that year, at the hundredth anniversary of his Harvard club, a member was talking about the spirit of Harvard College and saying how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-matthews/earlier-that-year-at-the-hundredth-anniversary-of-his-harvard-club-a/) [Chris Matthews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-matthews/) > [ I will not get into a pissing contest with that skunk \[Joseph McCarthy\]. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/i-will-not-get-into-a-pissing-contest-with-that-skunk-joseph-mccarthy/) [Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/) ## More by Joy Reid > [Trump is reviled around the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-reid/trump-is-reviled-around-the-world/) [Joy Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-reid/) > [What White America and Black America wanted and expected from Obama were fundamentally different and opposite things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-reid/what-white-america-and-black-america-wanted-and-expected-from-obama/) [Joy Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-reid/) > [If Obama was fundamentally different from prior presidents, Trump seems to violate every tenet of what Americans have long sought as our national image.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-reid/if-obama-was-fundamentally-different-from-prior-presidents-trump/) [Joy Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-reid/) > [In many ways, Trump is both a boon and a bane to Republicans. His insanity and moral decrepitude keep the country focused on things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-reid/in-many-ways-trump-is-both-a-boon-and-a-bane-to-republicans-his/) [Joy Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-reid/) > [To be white in America is to assume, with total self-confidence and little afterthought, the personal ownership of public spaces.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-reid/to-be-white-in-america-is-to-assume-with-total-self-confidence-and/) [Joy Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-reid/) > [Dwight Eisenhower presented a face of America that was heroic and resolute; Ronald Reagan represented a return to confidence and glamour after the weary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-reid/dwight-eisenhower-presented-a-face-of-america-that-was-heroic-and/) [Joy Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-reid/) > [Trump's affinity for Russia dates back at least to the late 1980s, during the time of the Soviet Union, and it intensified after his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-reid/trump-s-affinity-for-russia-dates-back-at-least-to-the-late-1980s/) [Joy Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-reid/) > [Trump's more outre economic ideas, like repealing trade bills and implementing a massive surcharge on imports, would seem like non-starters in a Republican-led House…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-reid/trump-s-more-outre-economic-ideas-like-repealing-trade-bills-and/) [Joy Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-reid/) > [Too great a love for the presidency has caused Democrats to neglect state and local politics and to overly prize compromise and a futile…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-reid/too-great-a-love-for-the-presidency-has-caused-democrats-to-neglect/) [Joy Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-reid/) > [Bill Clinton had a hell of a first 24 months, even though he, like Trump, enjoyed a congressional majority. Scandal after scandal befell the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-reid/bill-clinton-had-a-hell-of-a-first-24-months-even-though-he-like/) [Joy Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-reid/) > [Whether on guns, race, culture or feminism, there really are two Americas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-reid/whether-on-guns-race-culture-or-feminism-there-really-are-two-americas/) [Joy Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-reid/) > [The sharp differences between the way city dwellers and rural, suburban and exurban residents vote, think and live cannot be papered over by federal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-reid/the-sharp-differences-between-the-way-city-dwellers-and-rural/) [Joy Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-reid/) > [Even without the euphoria of 'yes we can,' Hillary Clinton is to white women what Barack Obama was to African-Americans. She represents the opportunity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-reid/even-without-the-euphoria-of-yes-we-can-hillary-clinton-is-to-white/) [Joy Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-reid/) > [If you've never feared the police - if you don't get a dull ache in the pit of your stomach when you see red…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-reid/if-you-ve-never-feared-the-police-if-you-don-t-get-a-dull-ache-in-the/) [Joy Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-reid/) > [Republicans don't vote Republican because of Nancy Pelosi. They vote Republican because they are Republicans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-reid/republicans-don-t-vote-republican-because-of-nancy-pelosi-they-vote/) [Joy Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-reid/) [Explore all 100 Joy Reid quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-reid/) ## More American quotes > [I wasn't attracted to American cinema, but I fell in love with Los Angeles the minute I arrived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-varda/i-wasn-t-attracted-to-american-cinema-but-i-fell-in-love-with-los/) [Agnes Varda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-varda/) > [William Maxwell's my favorite North American writer, I think. And an Irish writer who used to write for 'The New Yorker' called Maeve Brennan,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/william-maxwell-s-my-favorite-north-american-writer-i-think-and-an/) [Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/) > [I have fallen in love with American names, the sharp names that never get fat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-vincent-benet/i-have-fallen-in-love-with-american-names-the-sharp-names-that-never/) [Stephen Vincent Benet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-vincent-benet/) > [I really like a lot of American country stuff, so my music has that influence, but I don't like to be set within a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jade-bird/i-really-like-a-lot-of-american-country-stuff-so-my-music-has-that/) [Jade Bird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jade-bird/) > [I certainly don't think that the heirs of the American Revolution were a particularly noble class.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-w-brands/i-certainly-don-t-think-that-the-heirs-of-the-american-revolution/) [H. W. Brands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-w-brands/) > [Congress passed the American Rescue Plan Act in a tremendous investment to support millions of workers without a paycheck and behind on bills.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-auchincloss/congress-passed-the-american-rescue-plan-act-in-a-tremendous/) [Jake Auchincloss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-auchincloss/) > [Small businesses are the backbone of the American economy and employ almost half of the working population. Yet because of their size, they rarely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-lipinski/small-businesses-are-the-backbone-of-the-american-economy-and-employ/) [Dan Lipinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-lipinski/) > [Although I write in English, and despite the fact that I'm from America, I consider myself an Armenian writer. The words I use are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-saroyan/although-i-write-in-english-and-despite-the-fact-that-i-m-from/) [William Saroyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-saroyan/) > [When we first sold the Wallace and Gromit shorts to America, people suggested we get rid of the strange British accents and put clear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-park/when-we-first-sold-the-wallace-and-gromit-shorts-to-america-people/) [Nick Park](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-park/) > [Firefighters and rescue workers are American superheroes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-kennedy/firefighters-and-rescue-workers-are-american-superheroes/) [Kerry Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-kennedy/) > [France has not only built a bureaucratic barrier against American culture, it has constructed a notorious intellectual case against it as well. 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But it's just as important for the U.S. never to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-bauer/it-s-important-for-american-soldiers-to-be-culturally-sensitive-when/) [Gary Bauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-bauer/) [Browse all 7,717 American quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "American populist politics has a long tradition, from Andrew Jackson to Huey Long to Joseph McCarthy. 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