From Maoism to MAGA: Authoritarian Imprints in Democratic Embrace

Abstract

Right-wing populism, exemplified by Trumpism and the Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement, poses a significant challenge to democratic institutions worldwide. This article investigates the counterintuitive support for such populism among the Chinese diaspora, despite many members' historical experiences under Maoist authoritarianism and subsequent exposure to liberal democratic norms in host countries. Drawing on a large-scale dataset of nearly one million tweets from approximately 200 influential Chinese overseas opinion leaders between 2019 and early 2021, we develop and validate a novel computational measure of "authoritarian imprints" based on high-frequency linguistic patterns from China's Cultural Revolution discourse (1966–1976), including binary framings, leader worship, anti-elitism, and mass mobilization rhetoric. Regression analyses reveal strong positive associations between higher authoritarian imprint scores and pro-Trump/MAGA support, election denialism regarding 2020 results, and endorsement of anti-democratic or extra-constitutional actions, even after controlling for demographics, ideology, U.S. exposure, and alternative explanations like anti-China sentiment or economic factors. These findings illustrate how enduring discursive and psychological residues from authoritarian socialization make individuals more receptive to populist strongman narratives that echo familiar tropes, thereby sustaining threats to democratic norms in migrant communities. The study advances understanding of authoritarian persistence, cross-regime ideological transmission, and the mechanisms fueling populist appeal in diverse societies, with implications for safeguarding liberal democracy amid global polarization.

Keywords: Authoritarian Imprints, Chinese Diaspora, Trumpism, Cultural Revolution Discourse, Right-Wing Populism, Computational Text Analysis