Another way of thinking about is that the word "populist" is applied to leaders one doesn't like. Both Chavez and Trump are assigned the epithet "populist" but Chavez raided businesses and supported big government, where Trump tried to protect business and reduce government. Yet both are "populists" because the center left hates them (for different reasons - presumably, Chavez is hated by the US left for making the ultimate result of left wing policies so readily apparent)