The clowning performer

Abstract

This chapter explores Trump’s clowning strategy and his talent as a performer—two attributes which helped him build a successful campaign, attract voters, and ensure media coverage. In disarticulating old-style political rhetoric, Trump privileges emotions over contents, and slogans above thought. His jokes, nicknames, and mockeries help him impersonate the “everyday man” who fights against the elite. Trump’s public speeches and tweets can be considered as performances that highlight the role of affect in politics, which helps us understand how these political performances hold together seemingly disparate interests, histories, and visions of the future.