ly, CA Brief Introduction

Trump’s 2024 Campaign promises are analyzed in this post I look at a few of Trump’s 2024 campaign promises in terms of prominent thinkers and what they might say about this phenomenon. Trump’s campaign promises offer fertile ground for philosophical analysis. His rhetoric, emphasizing national greatness, self-reliance, and exclusionary policies, might invite scrutiny from thinkers such as Richard Rorty, Jacques Derrida, Jürgen Habermas, Jean-Paul Sartre, Emmanuel Levinas, and Ayn Rand. These diverse perspectives explore Trump’s promises through the lenses of democracy, ethics, language, and individual responsibility. There is reason to find both applause and critique from each of these thinkers. So let’s begin.

Rorty: Pragmatism and the Politics of Hope

Richard Rorty’s pragmatism emphasizes shared hope and practical solutions. He would recognize Trump’s populist rhetoric—such as his promise to bring back industrial jobs—as a powerful tool for evoking collective aspirations. These appeals resonate with workers in Rust Belt states, offering the hope of economic revival.

Rorty, however might not be impressed with the bombast attached to the promises made if based only on the performance of Trump’s first administration and its shoot from the hip organization. Many promises were made in 2015-16 by the

Candidate Trump that were either forgotten or deliberately dropped. Rorty might not be impressed with that record.

However, this time around, Rorty would likely criticize Trump for failing to translate rhetorical hope into actionable outcomes. For example, Trump’s 2016 pledge to revive manufacturing largely fell short, with tariffs on China increasing consumer costs without creating the promised resurgence of factory jobs. Rorty would argue that rhetoric disconnected from tangible reforms undermines trust and exacerbates disillusionment among voters.

Derrida: Deconstruction of Meaning and Presence

Jacques Derrida’s deconstructionist philosophy would dissect Trump’s language to expose its inherent contradictions. Trump’s binary framing—pitting “patriots” against “globalists” or “law-abiding citizens” against immigrants—creates an illusion of simplicity while masking complex realities. For instance, Trump’s 2024 promise to “secure the border” with an expanded wall perpetuates a reductive insider/outsider dichotomy.

Derrida might also critique Trump’s tendency to defer meaning. His repeated threats to expose corruption by political rivals, like Joe Biden, keep supporters in a state of anticipation without delivering substantive action. This deferral reinforces Trump’s narrative control while evading concrete accountability. Derrida would argue that such tactics manipulate expectations without resolving underlying issues.

Habermas: Communicative Rationality and the Public Sphere

Jürgen Habermas, a proponent of rational discourse, would likely critique Trump’s campaign for undermining the foundations of democratic dialogue. Habermas emphasizes the need for open, reasoned communication, yet Trump’s bombastic rhetoric often expresses a deep resentment thus  relying on divisive emotional appeals.

For example, Trump’s persistent claims about election fraud—central to his 2024 campaign—sidestep verifiable facts and judicial outcomes. Rather than fostering informed debate, these assertions deepen polarization and erode public trust in democratic institutions. Habermas would argue that such tactics dismantle the communicative infrastructure necessary for a healthy public sphere, replacing dialogue with antagonism.

Sartre: Freedom, Responsibility, and Bad Faith

Jean-Paul Sartre’s existentialism critiques the abdication of individual freedom and responsibility. Sartre would view Trump’s promises to “save America” as encouraging bad faith, where individuals avoid confronting the complexities of their freedom by outsourcing responsibility to a leader.

For example, Trump’s pledge to eliminate “woke ideology” in schools suggests a simplistic solution to deeply rooted cultural and educational debates. This rhetoric absolves individuals of engaging critically with the complexities of history, diversity, and pedagogy. In a society as diverse as the United States is, such appeals are certain to offend a large portion of the people. Sartre would challenge both Trump and his supporters to confront these ambiguities authentically rather than retreating into oversimplified narratives.

Levinas: Ethics of Responsibility and the Other

Emmanuel Levinas, emphasizing responsibility for the Other, offers a moral critique of Trump’s rhetoric. Trump’s promises often prioritize the self and the nation at the expense of the Other, such as immigrants or marginalized groups.

For instance, Trump’s pledge to “take back our cities” by deploying federal forces to combat urban crime frames these communities as problems to be controlled rather than as populations in need of understanding and investment. Levinas would argue that such rhetoric denies the ethical obligation to see the humanity of the Other, fostering exclusion and fear rather than compassion and responsibility. Clearly, Levinas might also argue that such rhetoric is inherently disingenuous and therefore without an ethical core.

Levinas might also challenge Trump’s punitive policies, such as advocating the death penalty for drug dealers. By framing justice as retribution, Trump’s approach neglects the ethical imperative to address systemic causes of addiction and crime, reducing individuals to their offenses rather than acknowledging their humanity.

Rand: Objective Self-Interest and the Virtue of Capitalism

Ayn Rand, and her philosophy of Objectivism, would largely align with Trump’s emphasis on individualism and self-reliance. Rand’s belief in the moral supremacy of capitalism resonates with Trump’s promises to cut regulations and champion free enterprise.

For example, Trump’s pledge to reduce environmental restrictions to bolster the energy sector mirrors Rand’s disdain for governmental interference. Rand would likely applaud Trump’s framing of economic success as the highest virtue, reflecting her view that rational self-interest drives societal progress.

However, Rand might critique Trump’s populist appeals to collective identity, such as his “America First” rhetoric, as inconsistent with her emphasis on individual achievement over group loyalty. Rand’s philosophy rejects altruism and collectivism, so Trump’s promises to “protect American workers” might seem to her as pandering to the masses rather than celebrating the entrepreneurial spirit. I might even argue that Trump is a logical extension of the Randian inspired Neo-Liberal turn of the American Government since 1980 and the election of Ronald Reagan. In dialectical terms Trump is the antithesis of Rand’s objectivism.

Conclusion: Philosophical Insights on Campaign Rhetoric

Analyzing Trump’s 2024 promises through the perspectives of Rorty, Derrida, Habermas, Sartre, Levinas, and Rand reveals the multifaceted implications of his rhetoric. Rorty critiques the gap between hope and practical action; Derrida

exposes the contradictions and deferrals within Trump’s language; Habermas decries the erosion of rational public discourse; Sartre highlights the evasion of responsibility through bad faith; Levinas illuminates the ethical failures toward the Other; and Rand provides a lens to interrogate the tension between individualism and populism.

These analyses collectively emphasize the need for political discourse grounded in truth, inclusivity, and responsibility. By engaging with these philosophical perspectives, we gain a deeper understanding of how rhetoric shapes democracy and the ethical obligations of leadership.

Works Cited

Derrida, Jacques. Of Grammatology. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1976.

Habermas, Jürgen. The Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere. Cambridge: MIT Press, 1989.

Levinas, Emmanuel. Totality and Infinity: An Essay on Exteriority. Pittsburgh: Duquesne University Press, 1969.

Rand, Ayn. The Virtue of Selfishness. New York: Signet, 1964.

Rorty, Richard. Achieving Our Country: Leftist Thought in Twentieth-Century America. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1998.

Sartre, Jean-Paul. Existentialism is a Humanism. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2007.

Suggestions for Further Reading

Jacques Derrida, Writing and Difference. Explores Derrida’s ideas on deconstruction, showing how language and meaning are always in flux.

Jürgen Habermas, Between Facts and Norms. A detailed exploration of how democratic societies sustain legitimacy through rational discourse and the rule of law. 

Emmanuel Levinas, Ethics and Infinity.  A compelling introduction to Levinas’ ethical philosophy, emphasizing responsibility for the Other as central to human existence. 

Richard Rorty, Contingency, Irony, and Solidarity. Examines how societies reconcile individual freedom with collective hope, emphasizing the role of language in shaping identity. 

Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged. Rand’s magnum opus, illustrating her philosophy of Objectivism through a dramatic narrative about individualism and free enterprise. 

Jean-Paul Sartre, Being and Nothingness. Sartre’s comprehensive exploration of freedom, responsibility, and authenticity in the face of existential anxiety. 

Cornel West, Democracy Matters. A critique of the decline of democratic institutions in the U.S., emphasizing ethical leadership and public engagement. 

Hannah Arendt, The Human Condition. A profound analysis of the public sphere and the role of action, speech, and labor in shaping human life and politics. 

Disclaimer: The images and videos in this post are AI-generated creations, intended purely for illustrative and conceptual purposes. They are not real-life representations and should not be interpreted as such. Their sole purpose is to offer a visual means of exploring the topics discussed in this post.