Donald Trump’s Public Discourse and its Impact on His Leadership and the Polity

Session Submission Type: Full Paper Panel

Session Description

We know little about the impact of presidential rhetoric on public discourse, a topic that has become more significant in light of the president’s use of demeaning language, falsehoods, incitement or toleration of violence, encouragement of intolerance, undermining the rule of law, and antagonism to objective analysis. This panel will provide both analysis of the effect of the president’s rhetoric on public discourse and a path forward to researching possible impacts, including greater acceptance of demeaning language, fabrications, intolerance, disdain for government agencies, rejection of expert analysis, and distortions in democratic accountability.

Sub Unit

• DIVISION 23: Presidents and Executive Politics

Individual Presentations

• The Bully in the Pulpit: Donald Trump’s Public Discourse - George C. Edwards, Texas A&M University

• Donald Trump and the Return of the Paranoid Style - Roderick P. Hart, University of Texas, Austin

• Presidential Appeals in an Age of Populism - William G. Howell, University of Chicago

• Rhetorical Stratagems of Democratic Backsliders - Susan C. Stokes, University of Chicago; Ipek Cinar, University of Chicago; Andres Uribe, University of Chicago

Chair

• Paul J. Quirk University of British Columbia

Discussant

• Terri Bimes University of California at Berkeley