Former Mumford & Sons banjoist Winston Marshall went toe-to-toe with former Speaker of the House and California Rep. Nancy Pelosi over the meaning of populism in terms of democracy.
In April, Pelosi spoke at Oxford Union and argued populists took advantage of supporters and posed a threat of "ethno-nationalism" and "isolationism." The California representative went on to refer to supporters of populism as "poor souls" who were hesitant to support Democrats because of their opposition to progressive policies on the Second Amendment, LGBTQ, and religion.
Shortly after Pelosi's speech, Marshall dissected Pelosi's remarks on populism and noted the term's connotation had been co-opted from positive under former President Barack Obama to a negative one during former President Donald Trump's time in office.
Marshall shared his rebuttal on Friday in a video posted on X.
"Words have a tendency to change meaning," Marshall began, adding populism had become synonymous with terms including "racist," "bigot," "hillbilly," and "deplorables."
"Elites use it to show their contempt for ordinary people," he continued.
Marshall went on to note populism previously had a positive connotation.
“If anything, Obama argued that he was the populist. If anything, Obama argued that Bernie was the populist,” he said. “Something curious happens. If you watch Obama’s speeches after that point, more and more recently, he uses the word ‘populist’ interchangeably with ‘strong man,’ ‘authoritarian.’ The word changes meaning. It becomes a negative, a pejorative, a slur.”
Marshall then referenced the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021, pondering if Pelosi would agree that the June 2020 occupation of a Portland courthouse was an insurrection conducted by "radical progressives." The California representative objected to Marshall's sentiment and claimed the Capitol riot was not comparable to riots held during 2020.
“My point, though, is that all political movements are susceptible to violence and, indeed, insurrection," Marshall said. "Populism is not a threat to democracy. Populism is democracy. And why else have universal suffrage if not to keep elites in check?”
The former Mumford & Sons banjoist then noted the "globalist left" had become "the establishment."
“I suppose for Mrs. Pelosi to have taken this side of the argument, she’d be arguing herself out of a job," he added.
Pelosi interrupted Marshall's speech once again to note the 2016 presidential election had been "hijacked."
In March 2021, Marshall, a founding member of Mumford & Sons, departed from the band after receiving intense criticism for praising The Post Millennial's Andy Ngo for his book Unmasked, which discussed Antifa. Marshall officially left the band in June that year.
