Monster metaphors in media coverage of the 2016 U.S. presidential contest

This article offers an exploratory look at the use of the monster metaphor in the political rhetoric surrounding the 2016 U.S. presidential race. Drawing on a unique qualitative archive of online media from the primary and general election period, I document monstrous characterizations of the candidates and offer an interpretative analysis of the narrative functions the monster metaphor serves in the political discourse at this point in time. For the most part, monster metaphors convey narratives that center on attributions of blame and responsibility and raise questions about the moral standing of one’s political opponents. Literature from political science on the use of metaphors in social cognition and literature from social psychology on dehumanization are employed to offer theoretically grounded speculation about the possible impact of monster metaphors on American voters and provide direction for further, more systematic work on the use of metaphor in political campaigns.