FEATURE
Does President Trump's Outrageous Behavior Work?: Results from Two Randomized-Controlled Trials
Chandler James,
Chandler James,
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thanks to William Howell, Eric Oliver, Adam Zelizer, Susan Stokes, and Lisa Wedeen for comments and advice.
Abstract
Politicians are increasingly relying on outrage to engage the public. President Donald Trump used outrage to fuel his unlikely 2016 presidential victory and 2020 reelection effort. Was Trump's outrageous behavior a boon to his political fortunes or political malpractice? I draw on research in political psychology, populism, and presidential appeals to examine President Trump's outrageous behavior and its effect on the public. Using a series of original experiments, I find support for my expectation that Trump's outrageous behavior is a politically advantageous public relations strategy. My results show that Trump's outrageous behavior increases his support among self-identified Independents. However, contrary to popular conception, the results do not support claims that racial resentment or affinity for populism makes individuals more amenable to Trump's outrageous behavior.
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