Abstract
This chapter combines interview and ethnographic data with national trends in public opinion to empirically examine the populist rhetoric employed and popularized by the Tea Party and demonstrates its contribution to the election through the creation of a ‘political opportunity,’ which Trump seized. Specifically it examines three key populist narratives magnified by the Tea Party: a narrative of halted American exceptionalism (with which Trump’s slogan – Make America Great Again – resonated), a second embracing a rejection of political correctness and anti-intellectualism, and a third supporting outside candidates in favour of mainstream contenders.
This chapter combines interview and ethnographic data in public opinion to empirically examine the populist rhetoric employed and popularized by the Tea Party and demonstrates its contribution to the election through the creation of a 'political opportunity,' which Trump seized. It presents the rise of Trump by offering a new critical perspective: Trump benefited from a political opportunity created – or at least advanced – by the Tea Party. The chapter highlights three narratives extended by the Tea Party that created a political opportunity for Trump's election. In addition to perpetuating a narrative of American exceptionalism on par with that of Trump's, Tea Party activists created space for and continue to celebrate Trump's rejection of political correctness and anti-intellectualism. The Tea Party's narrative of a rejection of political insiders has perhaps had the most significant impact on the rise of Trump.