Teaching about rhetoric in the time of Donald Trump presents a curious challenge.<\/p>\n
I don\u2019t believe Trump is a reflective, scholarly sort of thinker. Reports from inside the White House suggest he works by \u201cgut\u201d and isn\u2019t one for complex theories. More\u00a0P. T. Barnum<\/a> than\u00a0Edward Bernays<\/a>, Trump knows the value of media coverage instinctively.<\/p>\n Think about it. Someone working on instinct knows more about employing rhetorical techniques than the well-educated, scholarly experts employed by his opponents. And if you don\u2019t believe Trump is winning, you\u2019re mistaken because you believe having a majority in agreement indicates winning a debate.<\/p>\n Trump knows that a plurality or even an outright minority of citizens can be sufficient to exercise power. After all, he won both the Republican primary and the general election. He won the GOP nomination with a minority of Republican voters (he lost the early\u00a0closed primaries<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0<\/em>to the politicians) and he won the presidency while losing the popular vote.<\/p>\n It isn\u2019t because Trump is brilliant in the way a Bill Clinton is a political strategist. What Trump understands is marketing a brand, a product line.<\/p>\n Trump has a pattern. He has a model he follows. Here\u2019s what we should mention to our students and our clients:<\/p>\n Quite simply, be a showman. Everyone knows you\u2019re a shark \u2014 a stereotype \u2014 and yet because it is so obvious, your supporters can dismiss some of your statements as an act.<\/p>\n Trump\u2019s supporters will tell you he speaks \u201cliterary truth\u201d but not literal truth. When I first heard this explanation, I thought it was absurd. Then, I learned that Trump explains and defends this \u201ctruth\u201d<\/a> in Art of the Deal<\/strong><\/em>. <\/em>Trump\u2019s truth is \u201ctruthful hyperbole\u201d that sells. Audiences know he\u2019s being hyperbolic, and they accept it.<\/p>\n If we don\u2019t teach this product-style marketing of a president, we\u2019re doing students and clients a disservice. Clearly, this approach wins power and control.<\/p>\n We know that\u00a0pathos<\/strong> (emotions) wins debates. It always has. Trump magnifies emotions, including the negative emotions of his opponents. Once opponents overreact to Trump, his supporters quickly dismiss the opponents as silly and paranoid. Becoming more like Trump doesn\u2019t persuade anyone in this paradox.<\/p>\n If you are perceived as a jester, you can occasionally be serious. But, when serious politicians and thinkers respond to the jester, it seems to backfire.<\/p>\n Years from now, we will realize this was the Infomercial Presidency with a wild host. We never believed what Billy Mays<\/a> sold, but we watched. Trump is our national Billy Mays<\/strong>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Teaching about rhetoric in the time of Donald Trump presents a curious challenge. I don\u2019t believe Trump is a reflective, scholarly sort of thinker. Reports…<\/p>\n\n