Trump, Lies and Power: Flooding the propaganda gray zone

Where it is widely acknowledged that Trump regularly propagates falsity, the motive for Trump’s prolific lying tends to be characterised as “flooding the media zone” to spread confusion and fear.

Although confusion and fear are certainly an outcome of Trump’s lying, in this talk by ABLE's Dr Victoria Fielding, Trump’s constant misrepresentations are characterised as the systematic propagation of misleading propaganda. This propaganda is spread collectively by Trump and his Republican Party and media allies, and Trump’s supporters. The political purpose of this misleading propaganda is tied to a much bigger prize than merely confusion: the Trump movement’s accumulation and maintenance of power.

Dr. Victoria Fielding is a Senior Lecturer in Strategic Communication at The University of Adelaide. Her research interests include the media’s representation of cultural and political contestation and media’s influence on democracy.