President Donald Trump says he’s for “the forgotten man.” Sen. Bernie Sanders made his slogan “Not me. Us.” We’re amid a surge in populist politics. Where does it all lead?

According to Daron Acemoglu, an economics professor at MIT and co-author of “The Narrow Corridor: States, Societies, and the Fate of Liberty,” such populist movements pop up every so often, and they can lead to big societal changes.

Whether it comes from the Guilded Age or the Great Depression, populist politicians have shaped society for generations, by busting trusts, creating Social Security or securing the Voting Rights Act.

Who gets to shape the future obviously depends on how the 2020 campaign shakes out, but the political conversation has already been altered by the likes of Trump, Sanders and others looking to borrow from their playbooks.

Acemoglu talks with Political Theater about how we got here and where we might be headed.

Show Notes:

• Five Senate votes where Bernie Sanders and Amy Klobuchar canceled each other out
• Bloomberg’s counterattacks may just resonate with Democrats
• The Democratic divide is not just between moderates and progressives
• Lobbyists donate to presidential contenders, who then reject it
• Some Democrats see political system overhaul as winning 2020 issue
• Democrats in Congress brace for long primary fight
• Donald Trump: How to win kitsch and influence people
• Trump popularity reigns in Ohio county tying its future to natural gas
• Trump State of the Union guests highlight reelection messaging
• Trump’s Inaugural Speech: Pitchfork Populism
• Democrats Want to Seize Populism From Trump