Reclaiming our republic: Presidential rhetoric in an age of democratic decline

Donald Trump’s presidency is a uniquely important move in a historical debate as old as the republic concerning the relationships between the presidency and democracy. Trump’s mode of presidential address is best understood not as an aberrant form of liberal democracy but as a reflection of an embrace of a different paradigm: competitive-elitist democracy. His presidency represents a perceptual shift precipitated by the asymmetrical polarization both of the American public and of the political media ecosystem towards a view of democracy that prioritizes party competition over liberal norms. Trump’s rhetoric is better understood as an embrace of a new, more threatening model of democracy. Relying on his second inaugural as our primary text, we make this argument by first, discussing two models of democracy (liberal and competitive-elite) necessary for understanding the relationship between the presidency and democratic governance. We then turn to two foundational elements of presidential communication, and then look carefully at Donald Trump’s second inaugural as evidence of his commitment to a competitive-elite conception of democracy. We conclude with some thoughts about what this analysis portends for democracy in the United States and for the study of presidential rhetoric within that context.