Donald J. Trump and the Politics of White Rage

The Twitter Presidency

Title: The Twitter Presidency: Donald J. Trump and the Politics of White Rage (NCA Focus on Communication Studies)

Authors: Brian L. Ott & Greg Dickinson

First Published: 2019

Pub. Location: New York

Imprint: Routledge

Pages: 122 pages

Hardcover: ISBN10 – 0367149753

Paperback: ISBN10 – 0367670283

Subjects: Communication, Politics, International Relations, Humanities, Social Media

Brian Ott and Greg Dickinson’s The Twitter Presidency was the first book-length academic study of President Trump’s rhetoric and his use of Twitter. It is centrally concerned with Donald Trump’s rhetorical style, which the authors argue reflects an aesthetics of white rage and is rooted in authoritarianism, narcissism, and demagoguery. The Twitter Presidency specifically explores how Trump took advantage of Twitter’s structural biases, namely simplicity, impulsivity, and incivility, to effectively channel and transmit the affective dimensions of white rage. The homology between his general communication practices and his preferred communication platform (manner and modality), Ott and Dickinson argue, struck a powerful emotive chord with his followers, who felt aggrieved at the decentering of white masculinity.