The rhetoric of Donald Trump : nationalist populism and American democracy / Robert C. Rowland.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Rowland, Robert C., 1954- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Trump, Donald, 1946---Language.

Trump, Donald.

Trump, Donald, 1946-.

Presidents--United States--Election--2016.

Presidents.

Rhetoric--Political aspects--United States--History--21st century.

Rhetoric.

Communication in politics--United States--History--21st century.

Communication in politics.

Populism--United States--History--21st century.

Populism.

Democracy--United States--History--21st century.

Democracy.

History.

Rhetoric--Political aspects.

United States--Politics and government--2017-2021.

United States.

Politics and government.

Language and languages.

Presidents--Election.

Genre:

History.

Physical Description:

xiv, 256 pages ; 24 cm

Other Title:

Nationalist populism and American democracy

Place of Publication:

Lawrence, Kansas : University Press of Kansas, [2021]

Summary:

"Donald Trump's campaign for the presidency has been called "the single strangest development in American history" (Michael Gerson), and that is in large part because of Trump's use of rhetoric in appealing to the white working class. He won the presidency largely because of his rhetoric, and despite committing gaffe after gaffe, violating every norm identified by pundits and scholars alike about how a presidential candidate should talk, and presenting a message that was antithetical to the rhetorical vision of the greatest conservative hero of the last forty years, Ronald Reagan. Robert C. Rowland argues that Trump's rhetoric is defined by the themes of nationalist populism and by a rhetorical persona casting himself as first an outsider hero who could achieve near magical results and later, after assuming the presidency, as a more radical version of that persona, moving toward the role of heroic strongman. Rowland shows that, while these three elements are found in all of Trump's campaign and presidential rhetoric, there has been development over time toward a more extreme variant of all of these themes. The Rhetoric of Donald Trump traces the evolution and radicalization of Trump's message in rallies, in formal campaign settings, in policy and ceremonial speeches, and in his tens of thousands of tweets. This is an essential book for understanding what Trump reveals about the status of the modern presidency and the role of rhetoric in the American political system"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

1 The Elements of Trump's Rhetoric p. 1

2 Trump's Rhetoric of Nationalist Populism in 2016 Campaign Rallies p. 25

3 Nationalist Populism in Debates, the Republican National Convention, and the Inaugural p. 40

4 The Transition from Outsider to Strongman in Trump's Formal Presidential Rhetoric p. 62

5 Trump Rallies the Base with a Never-Ending Campaign of Nationalist Populism p. 87

6 Trump's Dystopian Twitterverse p. 118

7 The Resonance of Nationalist Populism p. 138

8 Nationalist Populism and the Threat to American Democracy p. 158.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780700631964

0700631968

OCLC:

1221016287