Religious Rhetoric in US Right-Wing Politics

This book seeks to understand white conservative Christians' support for Donald Trump, using their own words. Drawing on the triangular relationship between the 45th president, and his voters, and religious organizations, this work investigates the creation of the tale of Trump as the protector and enhancer of Christian values. The first part of the book discusses in detail the white conservative Christian constituency in the United States, and the development of feelings of displacement and resentment fostered by intergroup threat and nationalism. The central part focuses on the actor known as the Religious Right, through the rhetoric of one of their most representative organizations in the twenty-first century. The final part focuses on the character of Donald Trump and his peculiar relationship with religious discourse. The book demonstrates that while such discourse is expected of Trump as a Republican candidate, his approach to it is characterized by detachment andsloganized exploitation of Christian symbols. Ultimately, the book highlights the cultural tools that are crucial in the reproduction of structures of inequality and the ways they have been used by conservative politicians and groups to accumulate power.

Contextualizes support for Donald Trump's presidency within national and global trends Combines original interview data with analysis of textual artifacts Considers how religious symbols and narratives have been used to cultivate political power

Autorentext
Chiara M. Migliori earned her PhD in 2020 from the Graduate School of North American Studies, John F. Kennedy Institute, Freie Universität Berlin, Germany.

Klappentext

This book seeks to understand white conservative Christians support for Donald Trump, using their own words. Drawing on the triangular relationship between the 45th president, and his voters, and religious organizations, this work investigates the creation of the tale of Trump as the protector and enhancer of Christian values. The first part of the book discusses in detail the white conservative Christian constituency in the United States, and the development of feelings of displacement and resentment fostered by intergroup threat and nationalism. The central part focuses on the actor known as the Religious Right, through the rhetoric of one of their most representative organizations in the twenty-first century. The final part focuses on the character of Donald Trump and his peculiar relationship with religious discourse. The book demonstrates that while such discourse is expected of Trump as a Republican candidate, his approach to it is characterized by detachment andsloganized exploitation of Christian symbols. Ultimately, the book highlights the cultural tools that are crucial in the reproduction of structures of inequality and the ways they have been used by conservative politicians and groups to accumulate power.

Inhalt

Chapter 1: The Outsider and the White House.- Chapter 2: What happened?.- Chapter 3: Whiteness, Christianity, and Politics.- Chapter 4: A Threatened Status.- Chapter 5: Fighting for the Soul of the Nation.- Chapter 6: A Rhetorical Weapon.- Chapter 7: Trump Won. Deal with It.- Chapter 8: Dispatches from the Swamp.- Chapter 9: He's just a real dude.- Chapter 10: How Could Trump Happen?.