Dialectical tensions in the narrative discourse of Donald J. Trump and Pope Francis

Reacting to the impact of Pope Francis and President Donald J. Trump on the world stage, New York Times essayist, Austen Ivereigh, asked the question, “Is Pope Francis the Anti-Trump?” He concluded that the answer is not an obvious one. Using qualitative methods, this study explores this question through the dialectical tensions and management strategies present in the narratives evoked in the many speeches and tweets of Pope Francis and President Trump. The dialectical tensions found in this study include: truth–post–truth, popular–elite, and unity–disunity. Their management by these two leaders is very different, with Trump responding in a much more unilateral fashion than Francis. The implications of these findings for the study of post-truth leadership are discussed, especially regarding the role of narrative and social media