The problem starts at the point which you people consider populism a 'bad thing', thinking that the opposite of it is Progress, or liberalism or 'freedom' or the like.

The dictionary and term opposite of the word Populism is Elitism. That's what you people are inadvertently suggesting - that the society should not attend the popular needs of the people, address their problems, solve the issues that are most popular among the people, and instead, 'do something else'.

The problems of the depopulated Trump's America are real problems of the actual people. Immigration wont solve the problem that created that depopulated America. Addressing the problems of the system that created it, or, even better, the system itself, will. If your solution to such problems is digging in and ignoring the actual problems and doing just more of the same, you wont get anywhere - those populist movements that are backed by increasing numbers of people, pushing for solutions for the popular issues, will win.

Its amazing how 60 years of capitalist establishment literature and media have made a word that points to the popular will of the actual majority anywhere else in the world, into a 'bad word' in Angloamerica.