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The word for today is…
demagogue (noun):
1 : a leader who makes use of popular prejudices and false claims and promises in order to gain power
2 : a leader championing the cause of the common people in ancient times
Source : Merriam -Webster
Etymology : When the ancient Greeks used demagogos (from demos, meaning “people,” and agein, “to lead”) they meant someone good-a leader who used outstanding oratorical skills to further the interests of the common people. Mid-17th-century writers such as Thomas Hobbes and John Dryden-and, later, Jonathan Swift-employed the English word that way. But, at the same time, the word took a negative turn, coming to suggest one who uses powers of persuasion to sway and mislead. “A plausible, insignificant word, in the mouth of an expert demagogue, is a dangerous and a dreadful weapon,” declared Robert South, known for his sermons, in 1716.
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