Creating an Emotional Community: The Negotiation of Anger and Resistance to Donald Trump

Abstract

This chapter argues that Trump’s rise heralds a shift in the prevailing ‘emotional regime’ (Reddy 2001) towards an ‘angry populism’. Based on an analysis of the role of anger and offence in media coverage of Trump since his election victory, the chapter shows that the president and his supporters are constructed as essentially angry—often about nothing in particular. The widespread emphasis on Trump’s performative anger—and his appeal to an aggrieved public through this anger—has had significant consequences in shaping public debate over the presidency. It suggests the salience of angry populism, implying that anger is a viable interpretive framework for understanding political discourse and its performance.