ABSTRACT
In his bid for the presidency in 2016 – as well as during his term in office and beyond – Donald Trump successfully tapped into a unique source of American political legitimacy, that of the prophetic style of self-presentation. Through his example it is possible to see the nature and power of this style, first by comparing it to the criteria for legitimacy noted by Max Weber, then by applying and extending Weber’s concepts to the larger American political scene. Careful attention to the use of time, metaphor, and narrative style suggests that this source of legitimacy was a distinctive factor in Trump’s ability to appeal not only to hard-core Evangelicals but to a wide range of disaffected citizens. As Trump and his acolytes remain central to the future of American politics, an understanding of this claim to legitimacy will continue to be vital long after the man himself passes from the scene.
