Performing Presidential Power since Watergate

The question of presidential power is a longstanding one in the United States. But the office has never been static. This book traces the development from the rhetorical presidency, where the president becomes a leader of the populace through their use of rhetorical appeals, to the performative one where all that is needed is something akin to a circus performance, using public events at which presidents sign executive orders and similar directives from Carter to Trump. The public clamors for action regardless of whether there is meaningful substance; presidents increasingly oblige. Advertising unilateral executive actions used to be approached with delicacy by presidents. In the performative presidency, the advertising of executive actions is largely the point. The authors illustrate how this change emerged and more importantly, its implications for American democracy. They see the performative presidency realized in Trump, where the words the president says are less significant than the performance being put on for the audience that serves as an illustration of distorted presidential power. As a result, the presidency has been transformed into something it was never intended to be.