In the Name of the President

• In Event: Questions of Executive Power: Foundations, Assumptions, and Rhetoric

Abstract

Presidents often make references to their predecessors in their oral remarks. And yet, the use of this rhetorical tool has defied systematic empirical research. To fill in this void in the literature, we examine the frequency of references to presidents, the identity of referenced presidents, and the policy context of each reference in all oral references made by presidents Reagan through Trump. Assessing the rhetoric and determinants of references, we demonstrate that mentioning former presidents is a political tool that presidents use routinely when justifying their policies to the American people. We find that presidents tend to use this tool more often during their re-election campaigns and toward the end of their term in office, but find little evidence of a correlation with the political environment. We further find that presidents tend to reference exemplary presidents, their immediate predecessors, and their co-partisan presidents.

Authors

• Benjamin Yoel

• Hannah Lowenkamp

• Amnon Cavari, Interdisciplinary Center (IDC) Herzliya