Political experts and the mainstream media say far-right politicians worldwide are stoking irrational fears and ancient hatreds to win elections. Across Europe, voters triggered a political earthquake by increasing the representation of right-wing populists in the European parliament. In the United States, Donald Trump is tied with President Joe Biden. And in Latin America, right-wing populists have seized power in Argentina and El Salvador and have, respectively, imposed radical cuts in government spending and detained 76,000 alleged gang members.
But voters in those nations are expressing legitimate concerns, not illegitimate grievances. In the US, voters are legitimately concerned by the huge influx of migrants since Biden took office. In Argentina and El Salvador, voters were responding, respectively, to hyperinflation and the highest murder rate in the world. And in Europe, voters are understandably rattled by the higher rates of crime and failure to assimilate foreign-born migrants, as well as sharply higher energy prices.
