Open AccessRhetorical Aftershocks of Trump’s Ascendency: Salvation by Demolition and Deal Making
Author(s) -
Robert L. Ivie
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
res rhetorica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.101
H-Index - 1
ISSN - 2392-3113
DOI - 10.29107/rr2017.2.5
Subject(s) - spectacle , dissent , rhetorical question , rhetoric , presidency , politics , political science , narrative , political dissent , democracy , political economy , law , sociology , philosophy , art , literature , theology
This essay offers an early assessment, after the first 100 days, of Donald Trump’s bewildering ascendency to the US presidency. It examines his apocalyptic rhetoric as a spectacle of salvation by demolition and deal making, a polarizing and demonizing politics that trades in deception and distraction. The spectacle, whether it is a means to an end or an end in itself, functions to distort democratic politics and to displace public dissent over the negative impact of economic globalization. The question raised is whether and how dissent might be channeled more constructively through a narrative of fairness that balances interests equitably and deliberates policy options credibly.