Performing the People: Affective and Discursive Strategies of Populist Proximity

This article investigates how right-wing populist leaders Nigel Farage, Marine Le Pen, and Santiago Abascal discursively perform proximity to “the people” through affective and interpersonal strategies. Unlike previous work that emphasizes nationhood or antagonistic othering, this study foregrounds the emotional and stylistic tactics by which populist figures minimize symbolic distance and enact belonging. Drawing on Critical Discourse Analysis, the article combines stance-taking theory, pronominal deixis, affective discourse, and stylistic populism to examine informal and conversational public speeches. These moments—often town-hall events, spontaneous rallies, or off-script interviews—reveal a consistent repertoire of rhetorical tactics: inclusive pronouns, colloquial idioms, strategic vagueness, and embodied performance (tone, rhythm, gesture). Each leader adapts these proximity strategies to their national affective style: Farage performs sarcastic familiarity, Le Pen maternal empathy, and Abascal exalted fraternity. The study argues that populist proximity is not merely a communicative style, but a performative act of political intimacy—constructing “the people” as an affective community with the leader as its emotional proxy. This proximity effect serves as a core legitimizing strategy, displacing policy precision with emotional alignment and enabling populist leaders to convert discontent into connection.