Listen to a sample
Demagogue for President
- Author
- Jennifer Mercieca
- Narrator
- Suzie Althens
- Publisher
- Blackstone Publishing
- Publish Date
- 20 October 2020
- Run Time
- 9 hours 57 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
What to expect
Historic levels of polarization, a disaffected and frustrated electorate, and widespread distrust of government, the news media, and traditional political leadership set the stage in 2016 for an unexpected, unlikely, and unprecedented presidential contest. Donald Trump’s campaign speeches and other rhetoric seemed on the surface to be simplistic, repetitive, and disorganized to many. As Demagogue for President shows, Trump’s campaign strategy was anything but simple.
Political communication expert Jennifer Mercieca shows how the Trump campaign expertly used the common rhetorical techniques of a demagogue, a word with two contradictory definitions—“a leader who makes use of popular prejudices and false claims and promises in order to gain power” or “a leader championing the cause of the common people in ancient times” (Merriam-Webster, 2019). These strategies, in conjunction with post-rhetorical public relations techniques, were meant to appeal to a segment of an already distrustful electorate. It was an effective tactic.
Mercieca analyzes rhetorical strategies such as argument ad hominem, argument ad baculum, argument ad populum, reification, paralipsis, and more to reveal a campaign that was morally repugnant to some but to others a brilliant appeal to American exceptionalism. By all accounts, it fundamentally changed the discourse of the American public sphere.
Critics Review
-
“Highly recommended.”
Politico
-
“A must-read.”
Salon
-
“A brilliant dissertation on Trump’s patented brand of balderdash. That makes it one of the most important political books of this perilous summer.”
Washington Post
-
“A rollicking tour of Donald Trump and his rhetorical excess. Jen Mercieca hits all of the high points.”
Roderick P. Hart, author of Political Tone: How Leaders Talk and Why
See more reviews See fewer reviews
-
“Brilliantly decoding Trump’s strategic deployment of his rhetorical arsenal, Mercieca shows how Trump turns America’s foundational pillar—speech—against its own underlying values. Her book is an eye-opening Rosetta Stone for deciphering—and countering—Trump’s oratorical tactics.”
Asha Rangappa, senior lecturer at Yale University’s Jackson Institute for Global Affairs and CNN legal and national security analyst
-
“Jennifer Mercieca, like no one else, immersed herself in the rhetoric of Donald Trump, explicating in real time and with meticulous precision and clarity how a bombastic pitchman emerged as America’s authoritarian PT Barnum…This book is essential to understanding how he did it and the peril it poses for democracy.”
Jonathan Tilove, chief political writer, Austin American-Statesman
-
“Mercieca’s work…iin popular press outlets has tremendous reach. In that regard, the book is the cherry on top…People will buy it and read it and teach it and talk about it.”
Anna M. Young, professor and chair of the department of communication, Pacific Lutheran University
User Reviews
No reviews yet.
Details
- Author
- Jennifer Mercieca
- Narrator
- Suzie Althens
- Duration
- 9 hours 57 minutes
- Release Date
- 20 October 2020
- ISBN
- 9781799961017
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- Blackstone Publishing
- Genre
- Elections and referenda, Political campaigning and advertising, Semantics, discourse analysis, stylistics, Political structure and processes, Media studies, Central / national / federal government
Synopsis
Historic levels of polarization, a disaffected and frustrated electorate, and widespread distrust of government, the news media, and traditional political leadership set the stage in 2016 for an unexpected, unlikely, and unprecedented presidential contest. Donald Trump’s campaign speeches and other rhetoric seemed on the surface to be simplistic, repetitive, and disorganized to many. As Demagogue for President shows, Trump’s campaign strategy was anything but simple.Political communication expert Jennifer Mercieca shows how the Trump campaign expertly used the common rhetorical techniques of a demagogue, a word with two contradictory definitions—“a leader who makes use of popular prejudices and false claims and promises in order to gain power” or “a leader championing the cause of the common people in ancient times” (Merriam-Webster, 2019). These strategies, in conjunction with post-rhetorical public relations techniques, were meant to appeal to a segment of an already distrustful electorate. It was an effective tactic.Mercieca analyzes rhetorical strategies such as argument ad hominem, argument ad baculum, argument ad populum, reification, paralipsis, and more to reveal a campaign that was morally repugnant to some but to others a brilliant appeal to American exceptionalism. By all accounts, it fundamentally changed the discourse of the American public sphere.
About xigxag
xigxag is an independent, UK-based audiobook platform and the UK's only B Corp certified audiobook company. We offer nearly 150,000 audiobooks, all with professional human narration. No AI-generated voices. xigxag is rated an Ethical Consumer Best Buy for audiobooks and a top-rated ethical bookshop.
There is no subscription. You buy the audiobooks you want, you own them permanently, and prices start at $13.95. The more you listen over the year, the less you pay per book, and there is always a selection in Listen for Less from $7.95. You can also send audiobooks as gifts using our audiobook gift cards or in-app gifting.
Every audiobook on xigxag has honest reviews covering both the book and the narration, and our community features make it easy to share what you are listening to, discover what others recommend, and find your next listen.
Download or stream on iOS, Android, or in your browser. Browse the full catalogue at xigxag.co.uk.