The Strongman Spectacle: Populism, Performance, and the Theater of Power — From Mussolini to Trump and Beyond

The Strongman Spectacle: Populism, Performance, and the Theater of Power — From Mussolini to Trump and Beyond excavates politics as theater, showing how authoritarian leaders master spectacle from radio and cinema to social media. Strongmen do not simply govern—they perform. Mussolini’s balcony oratory, Reagan’s Hollywood charisma, and Trump’s Twitter theatrics exemplify authority staged and consumed by citizens as spectators. Power becomes inseparable from visibility: the leader as brand, myth, and broadcast. Populism thrives on virality, deploying cinematic tropes, evangelical scripts, and consumerist rituals that collapse governance into entertainment. Trump’s politics of fame and fear hollow democratic institutions, while religion, celebrity, and platforms intensify charisma. Yet spectacle politics is contested terrain. Building on Debord and Kellner, the book situates strongman theatrics within platform capitalism, showing how memes, protests, and parody expose fragility and reclaim visibility for democratic participation.