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Resumo

This article examines the role of gesture in Donald Trump’s performance of populist leadership during the 2016 US presidential primaries. Departing from analyses of Trump as a symptom of a broken political system, we analyze how Trump’s gestural repertoire—especially his use of the “precision grip”—animates a populist ethos that rejects the norms of political decorum and instead embraces a discourse of powerful, decisive action. We argue that Trump’s hand gestures, in their frequent departures from conventional political discourse, are central to his performance of an “authentic” anti-establishment persona. Through close analysis of his speeches and rallies, we demonstrate how Trump’s hands function as both a target of critique and a source of his appeal, contributing to the spectacle of his candidacy and ultimately to his electoral success.

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