Alternative Facts Trump Reality: The Spectacular Anatomy of an Insurrection

Abstract

This chapter explores how the emergence of post-truth politics has begun to erode the foundation of democratic societies, including the United States. With an avalanche of alternative facts emanating from his Twitter (X) account reflecting his hyperreal “Stop the Steal” metanarrative, the former president incited the first and only coup d’état attempt on January 6, 2021. This deadly insurrection, which resulted in several deaths and many casualties, was the culmination of four years of a purely simulacral governing style. Although many of Trump’s outlandish truth claims were like low-hanging fruit for late night comedians throughout his presidency, the political realm of spectacle completely divorced from an external frame of reference or concrete reality stopped being funny at all when violence erupted on January 6th. The first intended overthrow of a democratically elected government in the United States sent shock waves throughout the world about the dangers of post-truth politics. For all those who value living in democratic republics, in spite of their inherent imperfections, Trump’s hyperreal leadership style culminating in a bloody insurgency unequivocally illustrates that the manufacturing of alternate planes of (hyper-) reality for political gain is no laughing matter.