Loss, awakening and American exceptionalism: a moment in contemporary US political communication

This paper analyses the website Republican Voters Against Trump (RVAT) before the 2020 US presidential election through the lens of a guiding visionary narrative: American exceptionalism. It argues that RVAT’s political critique is focused largely on President Donald J. Trump as a flawed individual rather than on the elite forces which propelled him into office. The dissenting intra-party activity performs as a values- based awakening, responding to feelings of embarrassment and shame amongst others, generated by the presidential communications and policy directions. The testimonials provoke the Republican Party to commit to interdependent ethical approaches and policies that reclaim a sense of decency. This study of contemporary US political communication sheds light on the growing appetite for relational ethical approaches and analyses potential impacts and implications for change in the conservative political imagination.