It's too bad populist has become a dirty word, because in theory it sounds great - i.e. democracy.
To extreme anti-populists, democracy is synonymous with mob rule.
demagoguery is just beyond the fine line...
When right-thinking people despise populism, who will be left as populists? I'm more worried about a Congress that unanimously passes trillions in handouts to rich people during a health emergency (and the feckless orange moron who didn't veto such public theft) than I am about "demagogues".