Demagogue for President
The Rhetorical Genius of Donald Trump

This is a brilliant analysis of the rhetorical devices that Trump used in his 2016 presidential campaign. Once she explains them they seem rather obvious, but I think most people didn't realize that these rhetorical patterns had been studied and categorized by experts going all the way back to the an......more

I believe I learned about this book from a POLITICO article that quoted its author, Jennifer Mercieca, which is how I've found many great books. Rather than interviewing administration officials or opponents, this book on former president Donald Trump is backed by the author's scholarship on rhetori......more

Excellent and important book. Identifies and categorizes Trump's rhetoric into six techniques so old, there are latin or latin-derived names for them (ad hominem, ad baculum, etc.) That Trump's long career as a-- let's use the word "salesman" -- has equipped him to wield these techniques of manipula......more

Restarted this book after letting it fall to the back burner earlier in the summer. It’s definitely a drier read, but on the shorter end for an analytical book like this, so worked best to give it my full attention for a couple days. Clearly well researched & argued, though sometimes the structure d......more

Brilliantly illuminates rhetorical devices you'll never again miss—and, lucky you, you'll have plenty of chances over the coming half decade (plus?) to study them. Probably could have been a bit shorter, but highlighting the fact that a successful demagogue uses the same tactics over and over is no......more