The Acceptance of Unacceptable Behaviour - The Case of Donald Trump

Abstract: This thesis aims to bring a greater understanding of the recent rise in right-wing populism by analysing the authoritarian populist discourse used by Donald Trump when he speaks to his base. In the study, the transcript of his speech at the Minnesota Rally in October 2019 is studied with the method critical discourse psychology. The theoretical framework is a combination of post-structuralism and critical theory. These theoretical and methodological choices allow for an analysis of the psychological as well as the political and discursive processes apparent in this global trend. The results of the study show that Donald Trump exhibits an authoritarian populist discourse that relies on identification and group-dichotomies for support. The discourse is heavily identity-focused and seems to blur the lines between opinions and facts as well as between entertainment and politics which combined with the power of identification and perceived moral injustices of his base enables an acceptance of his questionable behaviour and statements by his followers.