The global community witnessed a heated argument between two populist Presidents on February 28, 2025. Such an argument took place in the golden age of Right-Wing Politics. The much-discussed verbal spat between US President Donald John Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelenskyy at the Oval Office of the White House can be viewed in various ways. One may analyse the event through the Performative Theory of Populism.

Dr Benjamin Moffitt, an expert on Populist Politics and an Associate Professor of Politics at the National School of Arts, Australian Catholic University, has mentioned three demonstrative elements of Populism: People, Bad Manners and Crisis. He has claimed that these are the main characteristics of 21st Century populism. Dr Moffitt has explained that populist leaders often present themselves to the public as saviours who could get them out of trouble by addressing socio-economic inequality. They also try to introduce themselves as popular leaders with the help of intense anti-establishment rhetoric (which can, at times, include unethical and ugly behaviour). They usually portray themselves as outsiders with no connections with the so-called corrupt institutions.

In Right-Wing Populist Politics, a leader often tries to showcase her/himself as a powerful masculine character and a unique, as well as exemplary, figure. Hence, her/his supporters consider the leader as a strict person who can never make a mistake! According to Dr Moffitt, a confrontational diplomatic discussion between two populist leaders could create considerable controversy in such a situation.

Giorgos Venizelos – the Adjunct Lecturer at the University of Cyprus who explained the intersections of Contemporary Political Theory and Comparative Politics with a special focus on Populism, Anti-populism and Discourse Theory – interviewed supporters of Trump as a part of a field study conducted during his first term as the US President (2017-21). Most of the supporters interviewed admitted that Trump’s reckless lifestyle, hate speeches, tendency to use ambiguous words and eccentric body language attracted them a lot! All these make Trump different from other professional politicians, helping him to become a charismatic leader. His political behaviour frequently violates the natural limits of decency and courtesy towards his opponents. Surprisingly, the violation of decency has brought him closer to his supporters! It also encourages them to behave in a similar irresponsible or politically incorrect manner in their personal lives and in the social sphere. Trump reportedly used adjectives, such as nasty and liar, against Hillary Clinton during his electoral campaign. Interestingly, his supporters cheered his electoral speeches.

Since Trump returned to power with a huge majority on January 20, 2025, his closeness to billionaire businessman Elon Reeve Musk and the latter’s increasing involvement in the Trump Administration have added another dimension to the populist leadership of the 47th US President. The newly-formed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) under Musk has started laying off workers at a massive rate in various government departments in an effort to cut government spending. In February 2025, the US President held a press conference jointly with Musk at the Oval Office of the White House, breaking the centuries-old tradition. During the press conference, Musk bluntly identified the growth of bureaucracy in the US’ political structure as a serious threat to democracy.

According to political analysts, the informal attire of Musk during the press conference, the President’s conversation with the child of Musk and the public display of Trump’s submissive behaviour towards the business tycoon might have dented his image as an aggressive, all-powerful and popular political leader. Hence, President Trump and Vice President James David Vance got involved in a heated confrontation with President Zelenskyy at the Oval Office on February 28, 2025. Such an argument with a foreign leader became necessary for Trump in order to restore his image. Incidentally, the name of the DOGE is also borrowed from a quite popular right-wing online meme character.

On the other hand, some researchers have identified President Zelenskyy as a moderate populist leader. The Ukrainian President, too, has a deep connection to comedy and reality television shows. During his long television career, Zelenskyy earned a considerable reputation for ridiculing Ukrainian political parties as petty, provincial, corrupt, etc. He called his political opponent and former President of Ukraine Petro Oleksiiovych Poroshenko a symbol of institutional corruption, presenting himself as the representative of the oppressed people. Zelenskyy’s Sluha Narodu Party (Servants of the People) came to power by establishing itself as a Neo-liberal outfit with an apolitical, anti-corruption and nationalist agenda.

The attire, rhetoric and aggressive body language of President Zelenskyy made him a symbol of Ukrainian resistance after Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022. At the same time, he has been accused of postponing the next Presidential Election by taking advantage of his country’s difficult times.

Despite all their differences, the main aim of the political showdown between Trump and Zelenskyy on February 28, 2025 was the same. Both the Presidents wanted to present themselves as a man of virtue and to turn the public into passive viewers. Simultaneously, they made an attempt to maintain a direct, as well as emotional, connection with the audience. According to the analysts, President Trump and President Zelenskyy presented the connection as their democratic acceptance, demonstrating their own competence through such behaviour. Yet, they are involved in all sorts of undemocratic activities. Thus, they have turned the stage of global diplomacy into a stage of showcasing their own political drama.

Of course, Trump and Zelenskyy are two different personalities. Hence, President Trump and his team were seen making fun of Zelenskyy’s attire, style of communication, etc. from the very beginning of the February 28 meeting. The Ukrainian President, too, strongly resisted President Trump’s views on the Russia-Ukraine War. It may be noted that Zelenskyy sent a conciliatory message to Washington DC after President Trump announced the suspension of military aid to Kiev immediately after his meeting with the Ukrainian President. In his message, the Ukrainian President agreed to sign the mineral agreement with the US as proposed by President Trump and to follow the US leadership.

However, it seems that the diplomatic spat between the two populist leaders would have a serious global repercussion. Analysts believe that such a highly sensitive diplomatic display of power shall become a common phenomenon in the coming days as both Trump and Zelenskyy would encourage other populist leaders to show their might.

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Published by Koushik Das

Koushik Das (born on May 16, 1976 in Kolkata) is a career journalist. Based in the Indian capital of New Delhi, Koushik writes mainly about foreign policies and current geopolitical issues, and rarely about other topics. His own political ideas are highly influenced by Antonio Gramsci, Louis Althusser, Michel Foucault, Michael Oakeshott and others. English philosopher and political theorist Oakeshott (Dec 11, 1901-Dec 19, 1990) says that “in political activity, men sail a boundless and bottomless sea. There is neither harbour for shelter nor floor for anchorage, neither starting-place, nor appointed destination. But we have to keep afloat”. (Rationalism in Politics, 1962) As a student of Political Science, Koushik loves to share his views on issues, which have great impacts on his thought process (and also on India, South Asia and of course on the global community), with his readers through his website – Boundless Ocean of Politics. By doing so, he tries to keep himself afloat. You will find some of his articles in https://inserbia.info/today/ (https://inserbia.info/today/author/kou_das13_i/), as he has been trying to assess the global geopolitics since 2003. You can also mail him at kousdas@gmail.com View all posts by Koushik Das