A US populist political movement that emerged in 2009. Taking its name from the Boston Tea Party (see boston), it can be seen as standing in a long US tradition of suspicion of and hostility to government. With no central organization or formal agenda, Tea Party supporters’ varied in their aims but at their core was a desire to reduce taxation, cut government spending, and reduce the size and scope of the federal government. Distrusting the political establishment to deliver such a radical change of political culture, they worked to secure the election of Tea Party supporters to Congress. The movement achieved some success in the 2010 Republican primaries, but the general election results were more mixed: while some Tea Party supporters were elected, in other cases Republican voters in winnable seats refused to support them and Democrats were elected. The Tea Party members of Congress became noted for their outspoken extreme views and unwillingness to compromise, and their influence exceeded their numbers: fearful of losing to Tea Party supporters in the next primary elections, other Republicans began to endorse the Tea Party agenda. The party lost ground in the 2012 elections, and Tea Party influence seemed to be declining. However, in 2013 the Tea Party was instrumental in a Republican attempt to remove funding from President Obama’s health-care reforms, which led to a deadlock that temporarily shut down non-essential parts of the federal government. Its populist agenda and campaigning style influenced the successful campaign of Donald Trump for the Republican candidacy and then for the Presidency in 2016.