Last week, Donald Trump skipped the GOP’s debate on Fox News; by the time time this paper prints, he very well could have placed first in the Iowa caucuses.

In a campaign marked by over-the-top remarks and a dedicated group of supporters, it is clear there is streak of populism that is central to his campaign.

At times, it’s difficult to blame people for flocking toward a candidate that promises radical change. Many Americans have not seen their earnings noticeably rise for years. The recovery from the Great Recession has been one of the weakest recoveries from a recession in American history. The world can be a frightening place, and Trump claims to the have the bravado to assert American power.

Many people frustrated with the current political system have found a home with Trump, a candidate who promises to make the country great again. However, most of Trump’s relatively vague proposals on how to actually do this have been based on an intense sense of nationalism, and the majority of them would likely do little to actually help the people who support him so much. His campaign is populist without any semblance of policy.

However, this simply doesn’t matter to Trump and many of his supporters. His tax plan would explode the deficit, and his potential immigration policies have alienated and demonized millions of people. This list could go on. In a campaign that is built on force of personality and a nostalgia for the undefined past, the specifics do not matter.

In some sense, all public leaders should be populists. It should be the goal to shape public policy in a realistic way that benefits normal people. This is, however, distinct from a campaign built on angry rhetoric and empty promises.

It’s difficult to ascertain exactly what Trump would do in the advent he actually became president, not only because his current policy views are mostly vague, but also because nearly all of them have changed throughout the last several years.

Trump, who’s popularity is highest in the Northeast and the South, is relatively unpopular among voters in North Dakota, according to data from the New York Times.

There is no simple answer to why this is, but North Dakotans have historically not supported politicians who are in the same vein as Trump. Perhaps it is because we prefer public officials who solve problems, not just yell about them. It seems North Dakotans have historically chosen leaders who focus on public service, not shenanigans that resemble reality TV.

Good government is, after all, the best politics.