Presidential Appeals in an Age of Populism

• In Event: Donald Trump’s Public Discourse and its Impact on His Leadership and the Polity

Abstract

To what extent do presidential appeals—and presidential rhetoric more generally—reverberate through the political system? And when presidents endorse anti-democratic claims, who, within the political system, is likely to pick up and run with them? In this paper, we cull all written messages on Facebook and campaign websites of all candidates, winning and losing, in the 2016 midterm elections. We investigate who reiterates the distinctive arguments and messages fashioned by Donald Trump, and who chooses not to do so. Particular attention is paid to the party and electoral foundations of members’ independent identities and their relationships with the president.

Author

• William G. Howell, University of Chicago