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.