Lessons from Trump’s Political Communication

Book excerpt: This book explores Donald Trump’s political communication as a candidate and in the first two years in office. The 45th US President is dominating the media system and 'building the agenda' through the combined action of five strategies. He disintermediates his communication and manufactures a permanent campaign climate based on strong and inflammatory language to attract a constant and decisive media coverage. In disarticulating old-style political rhetoric, he privileges emotions over contents, slogans above thought. Trump’s jokes, mockeries and distinct rhetoric – showing similarities to rhetorical strategies of Nazis during the 1930s – help him impersonate the populist ‘everyday man’ who fights against the elites. His dominance of the news cycle also reflects a desire for higher TV ratings and Web traffic numbers. Essentially, Trump has critically exploited the media’s news logics and taken advantage of the American public's lack of trust in journalism.