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Trump's Army of Incivility

 Politicians participating in incivility is not necessarily a new thing, and it’s certainly not a new enterprise for their followers. However, social media has pushed this to a new level, particularly with Donald Trump’s entrance into American politics.  

Although Barack Obama’s 2008 Presidential campaign is viewed as the first monumental online campaign, his online activity didn't touch how effective Donald Trump’s Twitter use was throughout his 2016 Presidential campaign. Maybe this was because more people had access to social media than ever before, maybe this was because humans can’t help but stare at an inevitable car crash, maybe this was because of many, many things that all added up and resulted in the shocking whirlwind victory.  

Whatever it was, Trump’s strategy won him the US Presidency. 

Scholars and journalists have been studying and compiling his Twitter usage, particularly his use of online incivility to get more clicks. Here is a New York Times article titled The Complete List of Trump’s Twitter Insults (2015-2021) by Kevin Quealy, which can be organized alphabetically, or chronologically. This includes the snappy insults that he would call opposing candidates, claims of fake news about reputable organizations, and other forms of bullying, all documented on his personal Twitter account, @realDonaldTrump. 

Insults like ‘Sleepy Joe’ or ‘Crooked Hillary’ are well known, and they don’t just rile up his opponents – they feed his followers. Over the last decade, Trump has managed to build up a following, reframing incivility as patriotism. He has placed victimhood upon himself, blaming an unfair mainstream media for any form of negative press he may receive, effectively making any negative news published about him irrelevant to his followers, calling it fake. The ‘us’ versus ‘them’ mentality certainly worked in mobilizing his base. 

By seeing how Trump himself interacts with his opponents, his supporters have been encouraged to do the same. They are often seen defending him in comments sections and social media posts, parroting the same name-calling they’ve seen coming from him. Positive reinforcement is a part of this as well, with Trump using social media affordances to effectively reward those who are most vocal about their support. It further ‘boosted his appeal’ and made him the most entertaining person in politics, if nothing else. 

We’re now faced with the question: how should we confront online incivility from Trump’s ‘patriotic’ army? The answer to this is found on our first blog post.  

If you or anyone you know have been a victim to hate speech, contact the Stop Hate UK Line 24-hours a day on 0800 138 1625. 

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