Trump's Rhetoric Deviates from His Predecessors

Jamieson, K. H., & Taussig, D. (2017). Disruption, demonization, deliverance, and norm destruction: The rhetorical signature of Donald J. Trump. Political Science Quarterly, 132(4), 619-651.

According to Jamieson and Taussig, Trump’s rhetoric as the president of the United States deviates from his predecessors. The authors state that during his first 100 days as the 45th president of the United States, Trump used Twitter to launch attacks against a number of individuals one being the “Fake Tears Chuck Schumer.” Trump also attacked the Republican Freedom Caucus through his Twitter. He also complained that former president Obama had wiretapped his phone, but there was no proof of that. According to the authors, although Trump’s rhetoric and communication style differed from the norm, his discursive patters had double-edged rhetorical identity or signature, which certified his authenticity as a candidate of change. His communication style disrupted the politics norms and it seemed to have been what people wanted. Just like a speaker and listeners relationship, Trump tended to make individuating co-selection of preferred words to elicit engagement with followers.

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