Editing Slavoj Žižek (section)

===Electoral politics===
In May 2013, during [[Subversive Festival]], Žižek commented: "If they don't support [[SYRIZA]], then, in my vision of the democratic future, all these people will get from me [is] a first-class one-way ticket to [a] [[gulag]]." In response, the center-right [[New Democracy (Greece)|New Democracy]] party claimed Žižek's comments should be understood literally, not ironically.<ref name="Mionis interview">{{cite news |last=Mionis |first=Sabby |date=6 March 2012 |title=Israel must fight to keep neo-Nazis out of Greece's government |url=http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/israel-must-fight-to-keep-neo-nazis-out-of-greece-s-government-1.416802 |newspaper=Haaretz |access-date=6 March 2012 |archive-date=6 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120306212641/http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/israel-must-fight-to-keep-neo-nazis-out-of-greece-s-government-1.416802 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Slovenian philosopher Zizek proposes 'gulag' for those who do not support SYRIZA |url=http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_wsite1_1_20/05/2013_499789 |date=20 May 2013 |access-date=20 May 2013 |archive-date=7 June 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130607112545/http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_wsite1_1_20/05/2013_499789 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Just before the [[2017 French presidential election]], Žižek stated that one could not choose between [[Emmanuel Macron|Macron]] and [[Marine Le Pen|Le Pen]], arguing that the [[neoliberalism]] of Macron just gives rise to [[neo-fascism|neofascism]] anyway. This was in response to many on the left calling for support for Macron to prevent a Le Pen victory.<ref>{{cite web |last=Žižek |first=Slavoj |date=3 May 2017 |title=Don't Believe the Liberals – There Is No Real Choice between Le Pen and Macron. |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/french-elections-marine-le-pen-emmanuel-macron-no-real-choice-a7714911.html |work=The Independent |access-date=19 June 2018 |archive-date=15 June 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170615015040/http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/french-elections-marine-le-pen-emmanuel-macron-no-real-choice-a7714911.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2022, Žižek expressed his support for the Slovenian political party [[The Left (Slovenia)|Levica]] (The Left) at its 5th annual conference.<ref>{{Citation |title=Slavoj Zizek gives support to Levica and comments on the Ukrainian crisis |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PpE6D1c8CZw |website=YouTube |language=en |date=15 March 2022 |access-date=3 April 2022 |archive-date=3 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220403014106/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PpE6D1c8CZw |url-status=live }}</ref>

====Support for Donald Trump's election====
In a 2016 interview with [[Channel 4]], Žižek said that were he American, he would vote for [[Donald Trump]] in the [[2016 United States presidential election]]:
{{blockquote|I'm horrified at him [Trump]. I'm just thinking that [[Hillary Clinton|Hillary]] is the true danger. ... if Trump wins, both big parties, Republicans and Democratics, would have to return to basics, rethink themselves, and maybe some things can happen there. That's my desperate, very desperate hope, that if Trump wins—listen, America is not a dictatorial state, he will not introduce Fascism—but it will be a kind of big awakening. New political processes will be set in motion, will be triggered. But I'm well aware that things are very dangerous here ... I'm just aware that Hillary stands for this absolute inertia, the most dangerous one. Because she is a cold warrior, and so on, connected with banks, pretending to be socially progressive.<ref>{{cite web |title=Slavoj Žižek: 'I would vote Trump' |url=https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=10154211377601939 |via=Facebook |publisher=Channel 4 |access-date=18 May 2022 |archive-date=20 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210120145722/https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=10154211377601939 |url-status=live }}</ref>}}

These views were derisively characterised as [[accelerationist]] by ''Left Voice'',<ref>{{cite web |last1=Steinman |first1=Ian |date=4 November 2016 |title=From Farce to Tragedy: Žižek Endorses Trump |url=https://www.leftvoice.org/from-farce-to-tragedy-zizek-endorses-trump/ |website=Left Voice |access-date=18 May 2022 |archive-date=22 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220622140145/https://www.leftvoice.org/from-farce-to-tragedy-zizek-endorses-trump/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and were labelled "regressive" by [[Noam Chomsky]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Noam Chomsky speaks with 'Upfront' - slams media coverage, criticises third party voters |url=https://network.aljazeera.net/pressroom/noam-chomsky-speaks-%E2%80%98upfront%E2%80%99-slams-media-coverage-criticises-third-party-voters |website=Al Jazeera |date=24 November 2016 |access-date=18 May 2022 |archive-date=20 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220620182428/https://network.aljazeera.net/pressroom/noam-chomsky-speaks-%E2%80%98upfront%E2%80%99-slams-media-coverage-criticises-third-party-voters |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2019 and 2020, Žižek defended his views,<ref>{{cite web |last1=Žižek |first1=Slavoj |date=26 June 2019 |title=Voices Was I right to back Donald Trump over Hillary Clinton? Absolutely |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/trump-hillary-clinton-populist-right-left-democratic-party-civil-war-a8975121.html |website=The Independent |access-date=18 May 2022 |archive-date=4 July 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190704121910/https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/trump-hillary-clinton-populist-right-left-democratic-party-civil-war-a8975121.html |url-status=live }}</ref> saying that Trump's election "created, for the first time in I don't know how many decades, a true American left", citing the boost it gave [[Bernie Sanders]] and [[Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez]].<ref name=Humphreys>{{cite web |last1=Humphreys |first1=Joe |date=1 August 2020 |title=Slavoj Žižek: 'Joe Biden is long-term the same catastrophe as Trump' |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/books/slavoj-%C5%BEi%C5%BEek-joe-biden-is-long-term-the-same-catastrophe-as-trump-1.4312913 |website=Irish Times |access-date=18 May 2022 |archive-date=13 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220613130609/https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/books/slavoj-%C5%BEi%C5%BEek-joe-biden-is-long-term-the-same-catastrophe-as-trump-1.4312913 |url-status=live }}</ref>

However, regarding the [[2020 United States presidential election]], Žižek reported himself "tempted by changing his position", saying "Trump is a little too much".<ref name=Humphreys/> In another interview, he stood by his 2016 "wager" that Trump's election would lead to a socialist reaction ("maybe I was right"), but claimed that "now with coronavirus: no, no—no Trump. ... difficult as it is for me to say this, but now I would say '[[Biden]] better than Trump', although he is far from ideal."<ref>{{cite web |author=Valuetainment |date=16 May 2020 |title=Communist Philosopher Debates Capitalism - Slavoj Žižek |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHH96Fc0_lo&t=0s |website=YouTube |access-date=18 May 2022 |archive-date=18 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220518165647/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHH96Fc0_lo&t=0s |url-status=live }}</ref> In his 2022 book, ''Heaven in Disorder'', Žižek continued to express a preference for Joe Biden over Donald Trump, stating "Trump was corroding the ethical substance of our lives", while Biden lies and represents big capital more politely.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Žižek |first1=Slavoj |year=2022 |title=Heaven in Disorder |location=New York & London |publisher=OR Books |page=119}}</ref>