ABSTRACT
To gain voter support, politicians tend to show they are both sympathetic to the problems people are facing and empathetic to their feelings. In comparison with other candidates who show understanding of the American public’s needs and empathize with them, Trump displays emotions similar to the American people instead. He shows his supporters how to amplify their emotions, and they eagerly learn from him. He is just as angry and frustrated as they are, and he is just as furious and energetic as they want to be. This display of mirrored emotions connects his supporters deeply to one another and also to their leader, Trump, providing a strong, overall sense of unity. Trump’s emotional appeal is, therefore, based on the frustration of his supporters, their feelings of deprivation and threat, and, interestingly, his selfadulation and narcissistic behavior.
