From Fringe to Power in the TikTok Age: Libertarian Ideology and Transgressive Performances in Milei’s ‘Populism Without the People’

Democracies around the world are under strain from radical right populist leaders and parties, raising urgent questions about their appeal. One way to approach this is by examining what and how they communicate on social media. TikTok warrants close attention, not only as the fastest-growing platform for news and information, but also because of the wider ‘Tiktokification’ of social media and the growing importance of visual communication. Yet populist communication on TikTok has received little attention, reflecting a broader text-centric bias in the literature. Here, we trace Javier Milei’s journey from the political margins to the Argentine presidency through his communication on TikTok, a platform considered key to his electoral success. We combine content analysis of text, visual and performative dimensions and show that Milei rarely appeals to ‘the people’—striking given ‘people-centrism’ is typically considered populism’s defining feature. This is, however, consistent with his right-wing libertarian ideology, which elevates individual freedom over collective solidarity, and is fitting with TikTok’s individualised mode of consumption. Milei’s populism without ‘the people,’ as we call it, combines contempt for the State, anti-elitism and transgressive performances that, as our regression analysis reveals, generate higher engagement. These findings advance our understanding of populism beyond the Global North and for a leader celebrated by the populist radical right worldwide, with broader implications for the relationship between populism, digital media and liberal democracy.