Division, discord, and democracy: A forum on the 2020 U.S. Presidential campaign

This forum examines the rhetoric of the 2020 U.S. presidential contest, assessing the health of U.S. democracy in the wake of the vicissitudes of the Trump era. The election of Joseph R. Biden, Jr. and the defeat of Donald Trump amidst a global pandemic and following a summer of racial reckoning after the high-profile police killing of George Floyd, among others, created a divisive campaign environment that, as in 2016, included attacks against women, immigrants, and people of color. The essays illustrate the resilience of racist, sexist, and xenophobic rhetoric in political culture—even during a campaign cycle that resulted in progressive change. The authors’ reflections reveal how even when we try to disrupt these rhetorical currents in our politics, they persist: in the dismantling of presidential rhetorical norms; in how we understand democracy; in the selection of vice presidential running mates; and in rhetorical responses to disasters like the COVID-19 pandemic.