Far-Right Populist Rhetoric: Gendered Enemy Construction and Performative Masculinity

Abstract

How do far-right populist leaders use gendered political communication, specifically the construction of gendered enemies and the performance of masculinity, to reinforce their authority and shape political realities? By examining this, this study aims to contribute both theoretical and practical insights into the communicative strategies of contemporary far-right populism, offering a critical lens for understanding how language, identity, and power are combined in the construction of political reality. The study draws on Ruth Wodak’s Discourse-Historical Approach, van Dijk’s Socio-Cognitive Model, Judith Butler’s theory of gender performativity, Connell’s concept of hegemonic masculinity, and Benjamin Moffitt’s framework of populism as political style and adopts a qualitative research design grounded in Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA). The study focuses on speeches by Donald Trump (Waco Rally, 2023), Viktor Orbán (Tusványos Speech, 2024), and Jair Bolsonaro (Independence Day, 2022). The findings reveal that far- right populist leaders systematically construct enemies using rhetorical strategies of nomination, predication, and scapegoating. These enemies are often feminized, queered, or otherwise depicted as morally and culturally deviant, reinforcing a narrative of national crisis and cultural decline. At the same time, the leaders perform masculinity through language, posture, religious references, and emotional appeals that assert strength, protection, and control. The interaction between these elements is central to the affective and ideological appeal of far-right populist leadership, the more feminized and threatening the enemy, the more justified the leader’s authoritarian and masculine stance appears.