Description
The meteoric rise of Donald Trump, from political outsider to American President, has been frequently attributed to his populist performative style that speaks to the concerns of those who feel marginalized as a result of globalization and socio-cultural change. This paper argues that the Trump presidency was also an entertainment product performed, in line with American cultural expectations, for consumption by media and publics. Conceptually, it combines ideas of populism as a ‘performative ideology’ through which the ‘true’ people are enacted as a coherent political subject with Guy Debord’s ‘society of the spectacle’: a construct where socio-political life is hijacked by disruptive performances. Empirically, the paper engages in a mixed-methods analysis that explores the persistent on-screen characteristics that underpin how ‘presidential’ traits are represented in modern Hollywood productions. It also illustrates how both Trump and Hollywood have exploited classic Western films to (re)imagine America in the 21st century in ways that resonate with large sections of the U.S. electorate. The paper concludes by making the case for greater engagement with insights from popular culture in the wider study of International Relations.
Keywords: performative populism; Donald Trump; Hollywood cinema; American presidency.
