Andrew, Lindsey2025-04-242025-04-242025https://hdl.handle.net/1828/21978My research seeks to answer the question of whether Donald Trump is a threat to democracy. Employing the method and lens of discourse analysis and social constructivism, I argue that the threat posed by Trump to democracy comes in the indirect form of a misinformed electorate that can demonstrably be mobilized against US democratic processes. First, I explore how misinformation disseminates and how a digital informational environment exacerbates its dissemination. Then I apply my findings from the first section to the case study of the 2020 US presidential election and the capitol riots that followed. I conclude that an over-abundance of misinformation results in increases in both informational learned helplessness and citizens being manipulated to attack their own democratic institutions.enDonald TrumpdemocracyUS politicsmisinformationPosterDepartment of Political Science