Conspiracy Theories and Trump Politics: WFU Communication Professor Available for Comment

Newswise — (Winston-Salem, N.C., - March 1, 2016) With Trump projected to gain ground on Super Tuesday, Wake Forest University communication professor John Llewellyn, can offer insight into how the candidate has successfully used conspiracy theories to gain support. "In these conspiracy-enhancing 'conversations' that Donald Trump promotes with the assertion that 'he's heard about' whatever topic is being raised, he is fanning the flames of his listeners' fantasies whether it be in regard to Obama's birth story or Justice Scalia's death,” Llewellyn said. “They want to believe that world events are driven by sinister forces and Trump is encouraging, even validating, those beliefs.” Trump’s listeners embrace the conspiracies because they make the world seem ordered and predictable, even if the outlook is negative, he added. “To them, a conspiratorial certainty is preferable to, even oddly comforting, when compared to a world of random events. In other words, they feel 'better the evil hand of conspiracy you know than the random lottery of unpredictable world events'”. Llewellyn studies and teaches rhetoric, analyzing persuasive language from the nation’s most prominent politicians, coaches and civil rights leaders. He’s also an expert on the public figure apology.