The ‘private’ life of US politics part one: affect, intimacy and Trump

Like many, I have watched closely the rise in political appeal of Donald Trump to become the US presidential candidate, with as much horror as fascination. There have been lots of explanations for what was considered a very unlikely scenario not so long ago (although Trump’s election as president was famously predicted in a now more chilling, than amusing episode of The Simpsons in 2000). Whether he wins or not (at the time of writing the jury was out), his appointment as the Republican presidential candidate nevertheless marks a significant shift towards a populist politics within the US.