Abstract
Donald Trump’s performance in the Republican Primaries, and the subsequent election, changed the face of politics for generations to come. This chapter wrestles with Trump’s pugnacious and truculent use of Twitter throughout the Republican Primaries in constructing identity, fear and emotion. A total of 3,252 tweets are analysed using thematic analysis and critical discourse analysis, enquiring of the meaning, power and ensuing effect of such tweets. The role of space and place helped Trump situate his tweets contextually, building on the imaginative geographies of his followers and reaffirming an American identity juxtaposed with an unknown and hostile ‘Other’. Trump’s construction of such an identity through nationalist discourses adopted the Mexico/US border as a material and metaphorical boundary for patriotism and the ‘true’ American. The ‘silent majority’ of Trump supporters embody the tensions between identity and fear, tapped into by Trump through authoritarian tweets and demonising discourses.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Political Landscapes of Donald Trump |
| Publisher | Routledge Taylor & Francis Group |
| Chapter | 9 |
| Pages | 161-179 |
| ISBN (Print) | 9780367197001 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 30 Oct 2020 |
Keywords
- Trump
- Emotional Geopolitics
- Republican Primaries
- Silent Majority