Şov Devam Etmeli: Donald Trump’ın Performatif Popülizmi

Abstract

Donald Trump küresel siyasetin gündeminde ön plana çıkan en önemli liderlerdendir. Trump’ın liderliği akademik yazında çeşitli disiplinlerde araştırma konusu olmuş, özellikle popülizm bağlamında bu konuda kapsamlı çalışmalar yapılmıştır. Ancak, bu çalışmalar genellikle Trump’ın belirli özelliklerine ve özgül politikalarına odaklanmış, popülist liderliğinin nasıl şekillendiği ve hangi unsurlardan oluştuğu yeterince incelenmemiştir. Literatürdeki bu eksiklikten hareketle, bu çalışmada Trump’ın 2016-2024 yılları arasında nasıl bir popülist liderlik sergilediği sorusu ele alınmakta ve popülist liderliğinin temel unsurları irdelenmektedir. Çalışma, Trump’ın popülist liderliğini genel teorik çerçevede, popülizmi bir siyasi üslup olarak ele alan yaklaşımla açıklamaktadır. Trump’ın kendine özgü siyasi üslubu, performatif eylemler repertuarı üzerinden şekillendiğinden, bu repertuarı analiz etmek amacıyla söz konusu dönemlerdeki süreçler ve söylemler hermenötik bir yaklaşımla analiz edilmiştir. Bu doğrultuda çalışma, Trump’ın 2016-2024 döneminde istikrarlı bir performatif popülist liderlik sergilediğini ortaya koymaktadır. Ayrıca, performatif liderlik anlayışının sistematik analizi çerçevesinde, Trump’ın popülist söylem ve eylemlerinin halk adamı imajı, halka yönelik vaatler ve müesses nizam karşıtlığı şeklinde üç temel unsur üzerinden geliştiği öne sürülmektedir. Sonuç olarak, Trump’ın bu popülist unsurlar aracılığıyla geniş bir halk desteği elde ettiği, Amerikan siyasi hayatında derin bir iz bıraktığı ve küresel siyasette öncü bir popülist liderlik tarzı sergilediği savunulmaktadır.

Keywords

• Donald Trump
• Popülizm
• Performatif popülizm

The Show Must Go On: Donald Trump’s Performative Populism

Abstract

Donald Trump is one of the most prominent leaders on the global political stage. His leadership has been widely studied across various academic disciplines, with extensive research conducted particularly in the context of populism. However, these studies have largely focused on Trump’s specific characteristics and policies, while insufficient attention has been given to how his populist leadership emerged and what key elements it comprises. Addressing this gap in the literature, this study examines the nature of Trump’s populist leadership between 2016 and 2024, and identifies its fundamental components. The study approaches Trump’s populist leadership within a broader theoretical framework that conceptualizes populism as a political style. Since Trump’s distinctive political style is shaped through a repertoire of performative acts, the processes and discourses of the relevant periods have been analyzed to examine this repertoire. The findings reveal that Trump exhibited a consistent performative populist leadership throughout the 2016-2024 period. Furthermore, through a systematic analysis of performative leadership, the study argues that Trump’s populist rhetoric and actions evolved around three core elements: the image of a man of the people, promises to the public, and opposition to the establishment. Ultimately, it is asserted that through these populist elements, Trump garnered broad popular support, left a significant mark on American political life, and pioneered a distinctive populist leadership style on the global stage.

Keywords

• Donald Trump
• Populism
• Performative Populism

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