Listening to Donald Trump's voice

When transcribed and reduced to words on the page, Donald Trump&s;s speeches often appear incoherent. What seems to animate them is his voice, which supposedly functions as a signature of his &s;authenticity&s;. This signature is both sensory and symbolic. Its sound is loud and overbearing and crosses spatial boundaries, while its words cross metaphorical boundaries as well, symbolising Trump&s;s refusal to be bowed by "political correctness" and a "woke agenda". In the face of such threats, Trump purports to mobilise his voice in defence of the "silent majority": those to whom he supposedly "gives voice". However, Trump also speaks to mobilise (if not weaponise) his supporters for him. This most famously occurred during the Capitol Hill Riots when he urged those before him to "fight like hell!" Accordingly, this chapter will analyse the sensory, symbolic, and politico-affective function of Trump&s;s voice, including its relationship to far-right political violence. I will problematise the idea that truth and agency reside within the voice by highlighting its reliance on an external supplement: namely, those who sanction speech through the "spectacle of listening" (Hegarty 2021). I consider Trump&s;s attempts to maintain the illusion of vocal authenticity by performatively refusing-indeed, once even famously destroying-the vocal prosthetic of the teleprompter, and conclude that despite his antics, Trump&s;s voice is always-already undermined from within.