An analysis of bureaucratic elitism in the context of right-wing populism: The cases of Donald Trump in The USA and Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil

Elitism is the view that sees society as a two-class structure with a qualified minority and an unqualified majority and defends the naturalness and insurmountability of this structure. Populism, on the other hand, is a vague concept that lacks theoretical consensus. Most analysts agree that populism is characterized by a populist politician's use of anti-elite arguments. The primary axis of populism is anti-elitism. Populist politician presents themselves as the true representative of the people while declaring the elites as enemies of the people. In line with the opposition, the populist politician takes on the role of a hero who battles with the elites to protect the interests of the people, and who takes a stand for righteousness against malevolence. The populist politician who receives the support of the masses through this discourse also speaks the language of the public. They choose plain, simple, and direct communication. Directly communicating with the public is the priority of the populist politician. The populist politician conducts a grand and loud political campaign, and upon winning the elections, implements their populist agenda by embodying the same approach as their political rhetoric. Thus, populist politics utilizes a language that will align bureaucrats with the elites in the eyes of the public. The anti-elite populist discourse turns into anti-bureaucracy. The main goal of the populist politician's anti-bureaucracy, which is the main argument of his political discourse, is to create a new type of bureaucrat loyal to themselves. This study analyzes the cases of Donald Trump in the USA and Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil to evaluate the current outlook of the relationship between populist actors and bureaucrats in the context of the axes of populism and elitism. Both leaders rose to power in the same period, using similar populist rhetoric. There is a widespread theoretical agreement that they are both typical populist leaders. Both leaders clashed with the bureaucrats, causing significant damage to the bureaucracy through centralization of structure and resources, politicization of norms and staff, and elimination of accountability. It is conceivable to determine how both presidents' methods and administrative decisions weakened and injured the bureaucracy while they were in office. One of the most significant factual examples in this regard is the populist politics practiced by both populist leaders during the COVID-19 epidemic, along with the anti-bureaucratic views they displayed. Considering this perspective, the position of the bureaucracy against the populist actor will be examined in the context of Donald Trump in the USA and Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil.