Trump's Thumbs: Pollice Verso and the Spectacle of Ambiguity

This essay uses the figure of pollice verso, the "turned thumb" gesture synonymous with Roman gladiatorial contests, as a speculative tool to account for Donald Trump's use of ambiguity in his rhetoric. Specifically, the essay argues that translating Trump's demonstrative rhetori...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Rhetoric Society quarterly 2023-08, Vol.53 (4), p.405-418
Main Author:	Duffy, William
Format:	Article
Language:	eng
Subjects:	Ambiguity Cooper, Sarah Digital media Donald Trump electracy Indeterminacy of translation Miscommunication pollice verso Rhetoric Social criticism & satire Third Sophistic Trump, Donald J
Online Access:	Get full text
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Summary:	This essay uses the figure of pollice verso, the "turned thumb" gesture synonymous with Roman gladiatorial contests, as a speculative tool to account for Donald Trump's use of ambiguity in his rhetoric. Specifically, the essay argues that translating Trump's demonstrative rhetoric into a deliberative frame can lead to misunderstanding one of his chief resources as a rhetor: the ambiguity of his "thumbful" rhetoric. Through a discussion of Third Sophistic rhetorical theory, affect, and the comedian Sarah Cooper's parodies of Trump, the essay argues why countergesture should be considered just as indispensable as counterargument for rhetoricians who teach about affordances of digital media.
ISSN:	0277-3945 1930-322X