Donald Trump supporters and the denial of racism

An analysis of online discourse in a pro-Trump community

Bibliographic Data

ID21235320
AuthorsNicholas Close Subtirelu (Georgetown University), Nicholas Subtirelu (0000-0002-6531-1622, Georgetown University, corresponding author)
Year2017
Volume5
Issue2
Pages323-346
Publication date2017-11-23
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Language Aggression and Conflict (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2213-1272 • E-ISSN: 2213-1280
PublisherJohn Benjamins Publishing Company (PUBLISHER • NL)
DOI10.1075/jlac.5.2.08sub
OpenAlexW2770892450
LanguageEN
Citations received10
References cited18

Donald Trump’s campaign to become president of the United States was shocking for many people. His negative representations of racialized immigrant groups were one of the most controversial aspects of the campaign, leading to frequent accusations of racism. This study explores how his supporters responded to such accusations. Discussions of racism within a pro-Trump reddit community, called “The_Donald”, were analyzed. The_Donald users adamantly denied that Trump’s statements or proposed policies were racist. Their dismissal of these accusations drew on and extended the logic of color-blind racism. They argued that such accusations were merely cynical political tactics and advocated that Trump supporters respond to them as such. Their favored response strategies superficially resembled genuine debate but were apparently intended to incite emotional responses from accusers and to compel them to disengage from conversations. The article discusses these strategies in light of the ongoing polarization of political debate around immigration

Criminology · Denial · Dismissal · Immigration · Media studies · Political science · Politics · Psychoanalysis · Racism · Sociology · Law · Populism, Right-Wing Movements · Psychology · Rhetoric and Communication Studies · Social and Intergroup Psychology

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