Har amerikansk politik utvecklats till att bli mer populistisk i modern tid? En analys av 2000-talets State of the Union Addresses

Sammanfattning: Populism is a disputed concept and has become a popular term for describing political leaders and movements. The United States is not an exception from having its presidents and politics labeled as populist. Thus it raises the question whether American politics has become more populistic over time during the 21st century. This paper's purpose is to investigate the development of populism in contemporary American politics. The aim is to review the question through State of the Union Addresses from the four most recent American presidents. The addresses form qualitative data from which an analysis is made. The analysis will be based on Cas Mudde’s definition of populism, including both left- and right-wing populism. This analysis will additionally take societal context, such as crises, into account. Prominent crises are the "War on Terror," the financial crisis of 2007-2008, and the COVID-19 pandemic. From this combination of factors significant conclusions can be drawn.