Persuasive Attacks on Donald Trump in the 2016 Presidential Primary

This book investigates persuasive attacks on Donald Trump in the 2016 Republican primaries through a variety of media—debates, TV spots, Twitter, Facebook, political cartoons, the National Review, and TV talk shows.

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Persuasive Attacks on Donald Trump in the 2016 Presidential Primary investigates the nature of persuasive attacks on Donald Trump during the 2016 presidential primary campaign. It begins by extending the Theory of Persuasive Attack to include attacks on character as well as attacks on actions. William L. Benoit & Mark J. Glantz use topical analysis to understand humor (late night television jokes; video from SNL, Colbert, and Oliver; articles in The Onion, and political cartoons) and Republican “establishment” attacks from Mitt Romney and the National Review. Quantitative content analysis examines attacks in primary debates and primary TV spots. The book concludes with criticisms found on social media platforms and TV talk shows.