Picturing The President: Visual Analysis of The Donald Trump Presidency on US Magazine Covers Between 2016 and 2018

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

We examine the visual representations of Donald Trump on the covers of three national newsmagazines from 2016 to 2018 and find four tropes: Trump as a circus performer, Trump as a wrecker, Trump as corrupt, and Trump as an unconcerned president. As a circus performer, Trump is portrayed as a manipulator; as a wrecker, he appears intent on destroying American society; as a corrupt president, his relations with Russia are highlighted; and as an unconcerned president, he appears unbothered by the impact of his policies on Americans. The visuals echo the dominant media narratives of Trump as a narcissistic and unfit president.

Original languageAmerican English
JournalJournal of Magazine Media
Volume21
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 1 2020
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Magazine Covers
  • Visual Framing
  • Visual Discourse Analysis
  • Donald Trump and Media Coverage
  • Photojournalism

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