Rhetoric – Alternative Facts

In the weeks that Donald Trump has been president, he has come under fire for spreading false information, which his administration and most importantly, Kellyanne Conway, called “alternative facts.” This relates to rhetoric because rhetoric is about the audience being reached, the story being told and how it relates to the truth.

As a senior adviser, Kellyanne Conway is someone who the public looks to to get more information regarding what other staff members in Donald Trump’s administration have said. This particular interview was regarding Sean Spencer’s inaccurate claims about Donald Trump’s  inauguration crowd being the largest crowd ever. However, being unable to substantiate these claims and having them be completely proven false caused Kellyanne to refer to his statement as “alternative facts” which she claims are different from false statements.

The truth of the matter is, Trump’s administration has been spreading false information under the guise of “alternative facts” which is not a good form of rhetoric. Socrates said “he then, who being ignorant of the truth aims at appearances, will only attain an art of rhetoric which is ridiculous…” supporting the idea that “alternative facts” are not facts or a valid form of rhetoric.

Luckily the public has multiple outlets to get information from and is constantly fact checking Trump’s rhetoric and not allowing misinformation to spread whenever possible. “Alternative facts” has now become a meme, mocking the ridiculous statements and credibility of Kellyanne Conway and Trump’s staff.