#Nationalism: the ethno-nationalist populism of Donald Trump’s Twitter communication

Article


Schertzer, R. and Woods, E. T. 2020. #Nationalism: the ethno-nationalist populism of Donald Trump’s Twitter communication. Ethnic and Racial Studies. 44 (7), pp. 1154-1173. https://doi.org/10.1080/01419870.2020.1713390
AuthorsSchertzer, R. and Woods, E. T.
Abstract

In this article, we explore the ethno-nationalist populism of Donald Trump’s Twitter communication during the 2016 presidential campaign. We draw on insights from ethno-symbolism – a perspective within nationalism studies – to analyse all 5,515 tweets sent by Trump during the campaign. We find that ethno-nationalist and populist themes were by far the most important component of Trump’s tweets, and that these themes built upon long-standing myths and symbols of an ethnic conception of American identity. In sum, Trump’s tweets depicted a virtuous white majority being threatened by several groups of immoral outsiders, who were identified by their foreignness, their religion, and their self-interestedness. The struggle against these groups was framed as a mission to restore America to a mythical golden age – to “Make America Great Again.”

JournalEthnic and Racial Studies
Journal citation44 (7), pp. 1154-1173
ISSN0141-9870
Year2020
PublisherTaylor & Francis
Accepted author manuscript
License
File Access Level
Anyone
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1080/01419870.2020.1713390
Publication dates
Online27 Jan 2020
Publication process dates
Accepted12 Dec 2019
Deposited27 Feb 2020
Copyright holder© 2020 Taylor & Francis.
Copyright informationThis is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Ethnic and Racial Studies on 27/01/2020, available online: https://doi.org/10.1080/01419870.2020.1713390.
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