2021 chapter
Trumping Reason
open access via doi.org (publisher)
Source: ORCID
Added: September 6, 2023
Why does support for Donald Trump remain resilient despite the preponderance of arguments and evidence that should refute so many of his claims? The answer lies in how Trump's rhetoric fully embraces intuitively based rationales for allegiance. This chapter analyzes Donald Trump's rhetoric throughout his campaign and presidency through the lens of moral foundations theory, which identifies clusters of value commitments that correlate with political allegiance. Trump activates connections with foundational values of his constituents through specific heuristic devices, especially loss aversion, availability, and representativeness. Synthesizing behavioral economics with the dramatistic rhetorical theories of Kenneth Burke reveals how Trump's claims resist counterargument and what rhetorical resources offer potential avenues for alternative positions to gain traction.