Donald J. Trump’s speaking and tweeting invite passionate reactions—maybe he’s a blue-collar billionaire hero, or maybe he’s an illiterate, unqualified idiot. Whatever you think, there’s no question that he was highly rhetorical. This book is about what made him so persuasive and why it’s important to understand. In Faking the…Continue reading “Trump’s Rhetoric”
What Rhetoric Can Teach Us About Donald J. Trump
Faking the News
“If Trump is the Jedi master of commanding the loyalties of his fans and inflaming the animosity of his detractors through language and symbolism, then, says Skinnell, Faking the News is the guidebook on just how the president practices his dark arts.” ~ Wallace Baine, Silicon Valley Metro
About the Book
Video: Editor’s Introduction Donald J. Trump’s speaking and tweeting invite passionate reactions—maybe he’s a blue-collar billionaire hero, or maybe…
Buy the Book
Booksellers Amazon Imprint Academic Barnes and Noble Hicklebees IndieBound Powell’s Merchandise Redbubble
Press Kit
Please use the information below if you’d like to write about Faking the News: What Rhetoric Can Teach Us About…
Endorsements
“Faking The News brilliantly and simply explains how Trump weaponizes language, diverting attention from issues to stir emotions like anger and resentment. These ten chapters will enable you to understand what makes his rhetoric, simplistic as it is, so effective in rousing supporters.”
David Cay Johnston, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, Trump biographer, and author of It’s Even Worse Than You Think: What the Trump Administration is Doing to America
“As a student of Rhetoric, and a candidate for political office, I have heard and seen many attempts to analyze how Donald Trump was able to convince so many people of things that were either fundamentally untrue or functionally impossible. This book digs deeper and gets it right. The Trump phenomenon is not merely about a person, but a political environment, nurtured over many years and exploited by savvy operatives able to fuel the rhetoric of personal grievance. It also aptly addresses the deep-seated racism and misogyny rampant in the Trump campaign and its enablers. Once we get past the sordid inner workings of the White House, the lessons to be learned are really about persuasion and the ability to manipulate large numbers of voters. Kudos for a valuable contribution to our comprehension of ourselves.”
Pamela Keith, attorney, former Judge Advocate for the United States Navy, and Democratic candidate for U.S. Representative of the 18th Congressional District of Florida
“Faking the News is a valuable addition to the growing field of analysis of both Trump’s conscious and intuitive use of rhetoric, propaganda, and branding in America’s profoundly disrupted politics. These essays are full of revelatory ‘So that’s why he does that!’ moments, and I highly recommend it to anyone interested in Trump’s language and his dark but brilliant manipulation of the American body politic.”
Rick Wilson, Republican political strategist, writer, and media consultant. He is a regular contributor to CNN, MSNBC, and FOX, and he is a columnist for The Daily Beast and The Washington Post.
“In these essays, rhetoric scholars use a variety of perspectives to analyze and evaluate Trumpian discourse. Such efforts are important because Trump has redefined the character and purpose of presidential rhetoric. These essays draw on the expertise of scholar/critics who analyze the ways the president has exploited argument and language in order to attack and denigrate the views of those who disagree with him or who threaten his positions and policies. […] If Trump’s presidency has been disturbing and his techniques have been annoying, these essays will clarify how Trump has attracted and retained a significant body of supporters and denigrated the view of citizens and politicians who do not share his vision of the nation and the world.”
Faking the News 