Populism, by definition, is an attempt to rouse the masses against an elite that is perceived to be self-interested and corrupt. Populists should, therefore, welcome an increased level of participation in the political process by the powerless.
But contemporary right-wing American populists don’t speak for a majority of the American people. What’s more, they know it. As a result, they make the argument, based on the views of the Founding Fathers, that America is a republic, not a democracy. This is an openly anti-democratic argument.
In addition, the kinds of people the reactionary populists believe have too much power–the wealthy and educated elements of the public–are exactly the kinds of people the FFs thought should be running the country. You can be certain, for example, that Hamilton would have been appalled at the idea of a guy in a Viking outfit storming the Capitol to keep Trump in power.
The bottom line is that our “populists” actually want rule by the elites, but they define “elites” as including only elements of the public the FFs would hardly have recognized as elite. It is as if the FFs wrote the Constitution to give the insurgents in Shays’ Rebellion control over the country. If you think that’s ludicrous, you’re not alone.