| Think back to the presidential campaign Joe Biden (and then Kamala Harris) fought against Donald Trump. The Biden camp's clinching argument was supposed to be that Mr Trump was a threat to democracy and the Republic. It didn't wash: Mr Trump took back power with a bigger share of the vote than in 2016, when he beat Hillary Clinton.
I was reminded of all that in our cover package on the European populist right this week. As we report, support for the Alternative for Germany, National Rally and Reform UK is surging. In response, the very respectable leaders of Britain, France and Germany have warned of the catastrophe facing Europe. Just last week, Britain's prime minister, Sir Keir Starmer, told Zanny Minton Beddoes, The Economist's editor-in-chief, that Reform UK was a challenge to "the very essence of who we are as a nation".
The doctrines of the populist right do indeed contain much to condemn. Yet talking about them in apocalyptic terms is destined to fail. The doom-mongering of mainstream politicians smacks of an attempt to draw attention away from their own failures in office. Given the strikingly normal way Giorgia Meloni is running Italy, their apocalyptic predictions are not credible. For their own sake, and for the good of their countries, mainstream politicians and their supporters urgently need a different approach.
On the Insider show this week, Zanny and I debate China's rise with two of our experts, David Rennie and Alice Su. This year we have run a series of covers on China's successes—in artificial intelligence, green tech and industries such as pharma and driverless taxis. We have also said that it is winning the trade war against America. In the show we assess China's economic and geopolitical power, before probing its strengths and weaknesses. You can watch us now on the Insider hub. | 
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