The unlaughter of Donald J. Trump: a case study
Abstract
Abstract As one of the guests at the 2011 White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner, Donald Trump was the target of an extensive barrage of scathing jokes from the headline speakers. Media reports at the time emphasized that he was not amused, and later the press returned to the story to suggest that he decided to run for President to get even for being publicly humiliated years before. This claim has been repeated and debated ever since. Using Billig’s concept of unlaughter and knowledge of the American folk ritual of the roast, this article explores the varying interpretations of the event and the exceptional persistence of these accounts, seeing both as instances of an alternate way that political humor can matter.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Humor Studies and Applications
Rhetoric and Communication Studies
American Literature and Humor Studies
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Humor - International Journal of Humor Research
- Publisher
- Walter de Gruyter GmbH
- Volume
- 39
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 289–315
- Publication date
- 21 July 2026
- Language
- EN