Article published In:
Right-Wing Populism in Europe & USA: Contesting Politics & Discourse beyond ‘Orbanism’ and ‘Trumpism’Edited by Ruth Wodak and Michał Krzyżanowski
[Journal of Language and Politics 16:4] 2017
► pp. 595–606
Edited by Ruth Wodak and Michał Krzyżanowski
[Journal of Language and Politics 16:4] 2017
► pp. 595–606
The hollow man
Donald Trump, populism, and post-truth politics
Donald J. Trump’s surprising victory in the 2016 American presidential election requires analysis: what brought it about, and what might it portend? This paper explores these and other questions: how have Trump’s victory and his communicative strategies compromised the culture’s notions of “truth” – via a continuum from “lie” through “post-truth,” “truthiness,” and “alternative facts” to “truth”? Is Trump – judging from his language and other communications – really a populist? And how are we to understand his many idiosyncrasies of discourse, as well as his supporters’ unwillingness to worry about them?
Keywords: Donald J. Trump, Hillary Clinton, 2016 U.S. presidential election, truth, post-truth, truthiness, fake news
Article outline
- 1.The Wizard of Oz
- 2.The wise men
- 3.The popular Trump
- 4.The death of truth
- 5.What do Trump’s supporters want?
- 6.Trumpty Dumpty
- 7.Truthiness and consequences
- 8.So…
- Notes
-
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