How Trumpism Has Affected Israeli Politics | The Ezra Klein Show

Episode Overview

• Explores how the global rise of right-wing populism, particularly Trumpism, has directly influenced Israeli politics.
• Details Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's conscious decision to adopt a more populist, Trump-like political style after 2016.
• Argues that Netanyahu's dominance as the "founding father of the right" has paradoxically suppressed the growth of more extreme far-right parties in Israel compared to the U.S. and Europe.
• Predicts that the far-right in Israel could see a significant surge in power once Netanyahu is no longer the central figure in Israeli politics.

Key Concepts

• The Trump Effect: The direct influence of Donald Trump's political success and style on other right-wing leaders, prompting Benjamin Netanyahu to tell his staff, "Be like Trump."
• Political Transformation: Netanyahu's shift from a traditional, statesman-like politician ("TV Netanyahu") to a more combative, social-media-driven populist ("Facebook Netanyahu").
• Populist Consolidation: The idea that a strong, established leader like Netanyahu absorbs and contains the populist and radical-right vote, preventing smaller, more extreme parties from gaining the level of support seen in other Western nations.
• Comparative Right-Wing Power: An analysis showing that the Israeli far-right's share of the popular vote (10%) is currently smaller than that of comparable populist or far-right movements in the U.S., U.K., France, and Germany.

Quotes

• At 00:25 - "Netanyahu told his staff, be like Trump. He repeated those three words, 'Be like Trump.'" - Political Analyst Amit Segal describes the specific moment in 2016 when Netanyahu decided to fundamentally change his political approach to emulate Trump's populist strategy.
• At 00:39 - "OK, he turned into Donald Trump." - Segal summarizes Netanyahu's significant transformation from a more traditional media figure to a populist politician who leverages social media in a manner similar to Donald Trump.

Takeaways

• Global political movements like Trumpism can have a direct and deliberate impact on the strategies of established leaders in other countries.
• Benjamin Netanyahu's persona is a blend of a traditional elder statesman and a modern populist, allowing him to consolidate the entire right-wing vote under his leadership.
• A dominant political leader can paradoxically limit the electoral growth of more extreme factions within their own ideological sphere.
• The eventual departure of Netanyahu from Israeli politics could unleash the far-right, potentially leading to a significant spike in their political representation and power.