The Rise of Presidential Eschatology

Conspiracy Theories, Religion, and the January 6th Insurrection

Datos Bibliográficos

ID3757985
AutoresBayleigh Elaine Bond (Department of Communication, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, USA), Ryan Neville-Shepard (0000-0002-7110-9797, Department of Communication, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, USA, autor de correspondencia)
Año2023
Volumen67
Número5
Páginas681-696
Fecha de publicación2023-05-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaAmerican Behavioral Scientist (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0002-7642 • E-ISSN: 1552-3381
EditorialSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1177/00027642211046557
OpenAlexW3203854825
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas26
Referencias citadas15

This essay argues that the insurrection at the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021, can be partially explained by the rise of what we call presidential eschatology, a religious master narrative that represents a historic shift from presidents appealing to God to presidents becoming a messiah figure. More specifically, we trace President Trump's embrace of this kind of religious discourse-which we contend is a form of weaponized political communication aiming to undermine democracy-to his acceptance of a millennialist narrative fashioned by QAnon conspiracy theorists. Through a close reading of primary sources from the movement, the study illustrates how these eschatological themes surfaced in QAnon's discourse and were exploited by Trump and his allies as they sought to overturn the 2020 presidential election

Art · Democracy · Eschatology · Literature · Messiah · Narrative · Political science · Politics · Presidential election · Presidential system · Sociology · Theology · TRACE (psycholinguistics) · Law · Misinformation and Its Impacts · Philosophy · Religious studies · Rhetoric and Communication Studies · Terrorism, Counterterrorism, and Political Violence