Metaphors are not used for their own sake in politics, but as part of a strategy to persuade a particular audience to accept a point of view, and act accordingly
Fringe groups have long understood that capturing the public’s attention is the best way to spread their views.
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For many extremist groups, a primary goal is to spread their ideology. Costumes and uniforms – even ridiculous ones – are a form of spectacle that can garner attention and interest.
The lines between political fandom and sports fandom have blurred.
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Researchers find that the most devoted fans take their team's defeats personally and often blame losses on the refs or cheating. Sound familiar?
Trump addresses a crowd in Dalton, Georgia, on Jan. 4, the night before the state’s U.S. Senate runoff.
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The president's language sounded less presidential and more inflammatory in the weeks leading up to the riots.
On January 6, 2021, Donald Trump addressed his supporters in Washington. Shortly afterwards, thousands of them will forcibly enter the Capitol.
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In his January 6 speech in Washington DC, Donald Trump urged his supporters to force their way onto Capitol Hill, is a perfect compendium of his inflammatory populist rhetoric.
A video screen displays Donald Trump’s face as he prepares to address a crowd of his supporters.
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Kurt Braddock, American University School of Communication
Words have consequences. And decades of research supports the contention that Donald Trump's words could in fact incite people to mount an insurrection at the US Capitol.
Far-right and ultra-nationalist groups, including the Northern Guard, Proud Boys and individuals wearing Soldiers of Odin patches, gathered to protest the government’s lawsuit settlement with Canadian torture victim Omar Khadr in Toronto in October 2017.
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As the raid on the U.S. Capitol has shown, some kinds of rhetoric can set fire to the world — and it exists in Canada, too. Here's how to tamp it down and focus on positive forms of rhetoric.
It’s hard to be patient.
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Donald Trump said followers of conspiracy theory 'are very much against pedophilia.' What he didn't mention was the demonic imagery and language that peppers QAnon posts.
Trump, after downplaying the seriousness of COVID-19, ended up contracting a serious case of the virus himself.
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Trump uses more religious terms in his set-piece addresses than any other president in the last 100 years.
With the American flag reflected in the teleprompter, President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally at Duluth International Airport on Sept. 30, 2020, in Duluth, Minn.
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Because dramatic tension fuels attention, Trump's words work to generate tension, anxiety and conflict. We need to react with civility, care and calm to undo the cycle of attention and persuasion.
Will either – or both – of these men use humor or insults in their first presidential debate?
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A politician who wields a comeback with skill can use it as both a bludgeon and a shield, damaging the opponent without hurting their own popularity with voters.
Tucker Carlson is a big fan of the phrase ‘they hate.’ Usually, he’s talking about Democrats.
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The conservative cable news channel particularly favors the term when explaining opposition to Donald Trump. This framing of the news can lead Fox viewers to see the world as us versus them.
Trump targets white voters with hostile, angry language.
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Dog whistles constitute coded language that only some voters can hear. But Trump does not hide his bigotry when talking about Mexican 'rapists,' the 'China virus' and 'law and order.'
Donald Trump in front of Mount Rushmore in Keystone, South Dakota, July 3, 2020.
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Because sarcasm is often difficult to discern and improperly used, it can operate as a linguistic mulligan. But deploy the excuse too much, and you might raise some eyebrows.
President-elect Trump at a post-election rally in Mobile, Alabama, Dec. 17, 2016.
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Donald Trump uses language like a dangerous demagogue. The author of a book on Trump's rhetorical skill gives a guide to the six most important rhetorical strategies Trump uses.