Have you ever felt like the world is being run by people who don’t know or care about you?
Like the decisions that shape your life are made in rooms you’ll never step into, by people who will never
understand what it’s like to be you? That frustration—the feeling of being unheard, unseen, powerless—is something
millions of people have felt. And it’s exactly what makes populist movements so powerful.

When a leader comes along and says, “I see you. I hear you. And I’m going to fight for you.”—that promise feels like hope.
It doesn’t matter if that leader is rich, famous, or part of the very system they claim to oppose. What matters is that, for once,
someone is speaking your language, naming your enemies, and telling your story.

Since 2016 Donald J. Trump has been dominating the US Republican and broader political stage by introducing a new
personalist, authoritarian ideology: Trumpism. Trump tried to appear as a savior to the lower middle-class and Christian
conservative Americans, but it appears he did it all for himself.

The Populist-Elite Paradox illustrates this well. It refers to the contradiction in which populist leaders claim to fight for "the people"
against the elites, yet they themselves often come from or align with elite backgrounds. The paradox highlights how individuals can
deceive their way into positions of power, ultimately granting an elite the influence and money needed to control capitalism.
The billionaire class is enormously powerful. Politicians do what they want them to do. That is the essence of oligarchy.
Trumpism is rooted in this: creating a Russian-style oligarchy in the USA to give power to certain individuals. Take this example:
Elon Musk, Trump’s close ally, lost nearly 200 billion dollars in wealth just months ago.

Trumpism thrives on oligarchy, concentrating wealth and power among elites while impersonating populism. It weakens democracy
by prioritizing corporate interests, suppressing dissent, and fostering corruption. To counter this, people must reject authoritarian
rhetoric, demand accountability, and support policies that empower workers, strengthen democracy, and restrain corporate influence.

Trump has stated numerous times that he and his ideas (Trumpism) are fighting for democracy. But by undermining elections,
encouraging extremism, spreading misinformation, attacking the laws, the only thing achieved is power for himself and his allies,
eroding democratic institutions. The Big Lie, the attack on the Capitol, the numerous coup attempts, a cabinet full of conspiracy
theorists and billionaires—the list goes on—all of which damage the foundations built over more than two centuries of American democracy.

This is where personalism becomes important. Consider another extremist ideology: fascism. Defined as “a far-right form of
government where most of the country's power is held by one ruler or a small group, under one party,” fascism does not relate
exclusively to Mussolini, Hitler, Mosley, or de Bono. These leaders all helped shape a broader definition of authoritarian rule.
But Trumpism focuses solely on the ideas of one individual—Donald Trump.

Trump has single-handedly transformed the ideology of what was once the Republican Party into a far-right, extremist, pro-Russia
movement. It has become a cult of personality, shaped around conspiracy-driven ideologies. This is not the Republican Party of
Lincoln. Why, then, did the Republican Party and its supporters fall for Trump’s ideas and lies? It is because leaders who first appear
to fight for democracy often end up building a newer, worse system of oligarchy. The populist-elite paradox reveals that Trumpism is
a deceptive political ideology posing as a blueprint for authoritarian rule.

The question that remains is: what can non-voters do? The answer is simple. Be aware. Be informed. And most importantly, stay alert.
In a few years, the younger generation will be voting, and they will determine the future of the country. This responsibility should
not be wasted. Learn from past mistakes and refuse to repeat them. As it has been said, “A mistake repeated more than once is a
decision.” Mistakes should not determine decisions. People should determine their own future.

This article is about Trump, but it is also not about Trump at all. America often feels like a TV show, where the world watches from
a distance, laughing at the absurdity of its main villain—until the plot twists affect everyone. It is about him, yes, but it is also about
something much bigger. It is about the patterns of history, the rise of authoritarianism disguised as populism, and the erosion of
democracy under the weight of deception and power.

The real question is not whether Trump himself poses a threat outside the U.S., but whether the forces he represents do.

The manipulation of the people, the consolidation of wealth, the weakening of democratic norms, those threats are not distant;

they are universal. If readers take anything away from this article, let it be this: do not be a passive spectator in politics. Question

those who claim to fight for you. Challenge leaders who name your enemies for you. And most importantly, do not let history

repeat itself simply because it comes wrapped in a different flag, under a different name.

Give us your take on the Roundtable.