Conspiracy Theories as a Component of Populist Rhetoric

What is the role of conspiracy theories in building support for populist leaders? Whereas the literature on conspiracism and populism has seen contributions to it by a number of scholars over the past several years, research on the general implications of such a connection have been neglected. What value, if any, do conspiracy theories serve for the populist movement? Is there instrumental value in using conspiratorial rhetoric by populist leaders? This project focuses on the usage of conspiracy theories by US President Donald Trump, and involves an investigation into the ways in which conspiracy theories are used to demonize political opponents, position Trump as a “defender of the people”, provoke “crises,” and reject epistemological truths from mainstream political and media actors. The analysis involves the usage of qualitative content analysis in order to distinguish between the ways in which conspiracy theories are used by Donald Trump in order to advance his political agenda.