By a common characterization of populism as a threat to democracy, this study further examines whether populism entails a threat or a corrective to democracy. The research is based on the theoretical framework by Cristóbal Rovira Kaltwasser and Cas Mudde which emphasizes the inclusion and exclusion factor of populism to determine the impact on democracy. Thus, the study characterizes the inclusionary and exclusionary populism regarding rhetoric towards indigenous peoples. In account of populism in government and populism in opposition to impact democracy differently, the empirical case study outlines Jair Bolsonaro and Gustavo Petro. A text analysis with focus on content analysis reflects the methodological approach by analyzing quotations of populists connected to indigenous peoples. The conclusion follows that Gustavo Petro indicates inclusionary populism while Jair Bolsonaro indicates exclusionary populism.