In the past few weeks the race for president has been turned upside down by Joe Biden’s decision to drop out and endorse vice president Kamala Harris. Democrats are energized while Republicans are trying to figure out how to deal with an entirely new campaign. One word has emerged that has defined this new dynamic: weird.
It’s an example of how the art and science of political communication came together to help change the trajectory of a presidential race, says Joshua Scacco, associate professor of communication at the University of South Florida and director of its Center for a Sustainable Democracy.
Scacco was a guest on WMNF WaveMakers with Janet & Tom and Tuesday (Aug. 13) to discuss the importance of political communication in elections.
“One of the key things that Democrats were having an issue with….is how to describe Donald Trump in terms that everyday people could potentially understand,” said Scacco. Biden would refer to Trump as a threat to democracy or as a would-be authoritarian, but “those terms are quite abstract,” Scacco said. “What the Harris-Walz messaging of weird does is it brings it to a level of concreteness for people.”
Trump has been successful in the past using simple words and phrases the average person understands, Scacco said, but he is struggling to find the right communication for dealing with Harris. And using weird against Trump and his running mate, U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance, has put the Republicans on the defensive. “In a lot of ways,” Scacco said, “it’s a very different position for Donald Trump who is used to setting the message frame that opponents have to operate in.”
That kind of tactic is a rhetorical trap for Harris, Scacco said, and the Trump campaign hasn’t figured out how to respond to it.
Hear the entire conversation by clicking the link below, going to the WaveMakers archives or by searching for WMNF WaveMakers wherever you listen to podcasts.
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