Humour as a political communication strategy

Engaging the Disaffected Electorate

Datos Bibliográficos

ID22096243
AutoresAdam North (0000-0001-6407-2132, University of Manchester, autor de correspondencia)
Año2026
Volumen14
Número2
Páginas1-22
Fecha de publicación2026-06-29
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaEuropean Journal of Humour Research (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 2307-700X • E-ISSN: 2307-700X
EditorialEstonian Literary Museum Scholarly Press (PUBLISHER • EE)
DOI10.7592/ejhr.2026.14.2.1163
OpenAlexW7166543865
IdiomaEN
Referencias citadas39

In an era of growing political disaffection, humour has become a powerful tool in the populist communication arsenal. This article argues that, particularly in democratic contexts marked by declining trust in institutions, populist politicians increasingly employ humour not merely to entertain, but to mobilise disengaged voters. Unlike traditional politicians who used jokes as rhetorical flourishes, a new wave of leaders — many with backgrounds in entertainment and comedy — have made humour central to their political personas. Drawing on the performative theory of populism provided by Moffitt and Tormey (2014), this article categorises comedic populists as politicians who embrace the disruptive elements of the populist performance. The article demonstrates the appeal of humour by examining the case study of Donald Trump who has utilised humour to build emotional connections, attack opponents, and dominate media narratives. It demonstrates that humour serves not only to express discontent but to create group identity and reinforce outsider status. However, the effectiveness of political comedy appears to diminish once these figures assume office, as the demands of governance clash with the disruptive ethos of comedic performance. Through a detailed case analysis of Trump’s utilisation of humour, this article explores humour’s evolving role in political communication and its implications for democratic engagement in the post-2008 political landscape

Comedy · Democracy · Ethos · Performative utterance · Political communication · Politics · Populism · Rhetorical question · Humor Studies and Applications · Language, Metaphor, and Cognition · Populism, Right-Wing Movements