Who Presidents Persuade: How Facts Change Minds and Feelings Mobilize the Base

• In Event: The Presidency and Misinformation

Abstract

Do presidential speeches persuade the public? Existing research holds that presidents cannot change Americans' policy preferences through speechmaking, with a focus on which policies presidents promote. Yet we know less about how presidents approach persuasion. I argue that presidents use factual rhetoric to change minds and make affective appeals to mobilize their base. I test these hypotheses using a nationally-representative survey experiment in which participants read a snippet from a real presidential speech about a policy proposal. These excerpts differ in how presidents persuade: whether they make factual arguments, affective appeals, or neither. In line with my argument, I find that factual statements increase support for the president's position broadly while emotional messaging increases issue salience and intent to participate in politics among existing supporters. This research has implications for how we understand presidential persuasion and the efficacy of going public.

Author

• Benjamin Noble, University of California, San Diego