We Alone Can Fix It: Donald Trump’s Campaign Rallies and the Rhetoric of Community

Abstract

In this project, I employ rhetorical fieldwork methods to explore community construction at President Trump’s campaign rallies. Since Trump’s election, rhetorical scholars have analyzed Trump’s rhetoric to discern recurring themes and explain his appeal despite his unconventional style and violation of norms. Based on a holistic analysis of Trump rallies that is informed by my firsthand experiences conducting rhetorical fieldwork at four rallies, I argue that explaining Trump’s appeal requires attention to his supporters, who are often overlooked in analyses that focus upon Trump himself. This project explores not only Trump’s rhetoric, but also more vernacular rhetorical activities that have becoming defining features of Trump rallies. I argue that rallies are a key site where identification is co-constructed between Trump and his supporters, through an analysis of the populist outsider persona constructed in Trump’s rally rhetoric, the rituals performed by supporters at rallies, the violence that often occurs at these events, and the circulation of conspiracy theories at rallies. These findings improve understanding of the affective bond between Trump and his supporters, the rhetorical process of identification-building, and campaign rhetoric, while explaining the capacity of populist rhetoric, ritual, violence, and conspiracy theories to contribute to group-identity formation.