A Populist, Influencer, and Religious Politician

Celebrity populism describes a combination of populism and celebrity politics in contemporary political communication. This paper narrows the concept down, as we present what we recognize as a populist influencer politician – a populist politician who is performing in a style of an influencer. Moreover, we analyze a specific role religion plays in the construction of populist messages. The empirical part centers on Marin Miletić, a populist politician and former religion teacher from Croatia who is communicating as an influencer on social media. Qualitative content analysis of Miletić’s Instagram Stories during the Croatian parliamentary election campaign in 2024 unravels how he combines political, religious, and private personas on social media. The paper provides detailed examples of how influencer style and religion content emphasize his populist messages. At the same time, we shed light on the blurred lines between entertainment, politics, populism, and religion in contemporary political communication.