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10 An Unpre­ce­dented Election and the “strongman.” In developing this argument, he describes the principal ele­ments defining Trump’s rhetorical practice—­populist themes that tapped into economic uncertainty, nationalistic themes that tapped into fears that American society was undergoing fundamental change, and the desire for a strong leader who could fix prob­lems based on the power of leadership—­ through an analy­sis of his July 21, 2016, speech at the Republican National Convention accepting the party’s nomination for president. In Chapter 11, we turn to the evolving rhe­toric of former First Lady Obama through an analy­sis of her speeches at the Demo­cratic National Convention in 2008, 2012, and 2016. In “ ‘The Greatest Country on Earth’: The Evolution of Michelle Obama’s American Dream,” Ryan Neville-­Shepard and Meredith Neville-­Shepard demonstrate through rhetorical analy­sis how Obama honed her message over time by outlining commitments to the traditional ­family structure, by promoting the materialistic myth of the American dream, and ­ later by using her ­ adopted voice of “republican ­ mother” to frequently incor- porate narratives about her ­children that served as metonyms for the protec- tion of all vulnerable ­ people in society. Chapter 12 considers the role of religious rhe­toric in the 2016 campaign. In “Loss of Faith: A Realignment of Religion on the Campaign Trail,” Brian Kaylor explores the religious rhe­toric of Clinton and Trump during the 2016 presi- dential campaign through an analy­sis of their major speeches, interviews, and three general election debates. His analy­sis shows how the most openly secular presidential nominee in de­cades won with rec­ord support of white evangeli- cals. The 2016 election demonstrated, once again, that the candidate who talks the most about God and faith—­not necessarily the one who is the most per- sonally religious—­prevailed, creating a shift in rhetorical religious expectations and a more evangelical po­liti­cal milieu. Tele­ vi ­ sion advertising also plays an impor­tant communication role in mod- ern presidential campaigns, with Clinton much more likely to use this strategy than Trump in 2016. In Chapter 13, “Late Night with Donald Trump: An Exploration of the Combined Effects of Po­liti­cal Comedy and Po­liti­cal Adver- tising,” Freddie J. Jennings, Calvin R. Coker, Josh C. Bramlett, Joel Lansing Reed, and Joshua P. Bolton report the results of an experiment that embedded pro-­Clinton and anti-­Trump po­liti­cal ads sponsored by the Clinton cam- paign and a Super PAC supporting her candidacy into the late-­night talk show, Late Night with Seth Meyers. ­ After watching the episode, 559 partici- pants completed a survey that mea­sured their feelings ­toward both candi- dates as well as their demo­cratic trust and attributions of malevolence. In Chapter 14, “­Going on Defense: The Unpre­ce­dented Use of Defensive Appeals in 2016 U.S. Presidential Debates,” Corey B. Davis applies the functional theory of po­liti­cal campaign discourse to examine the extent to which Clin- ton and Trump used acclaims, attacks, and defenses in their three 2016 gen- eral election debates in comparison to past presidential debates. His study also identifies a prominent accusation leveled at each candidate during the debates