Misquotation, Misattribution, and Misrepresentation in American Political Rhetoric

Quotations are an important form of rhetorical appeals and testimony in American political discourse, and misquotationsMisquotation follow suit. While often invoked for the same reasons as legitimate quotations (e.g., to connect a current argument to a historical precedent or to use an opponent’s words to attack them), misquotation does so but with the sheen of fakery. The examples in this chapter include the misattributionMisattribution of political beliefs to the nation’s founders and President AbrahamLincoln, Abraham Lincoln, the fabrication and essentializing of Martin LutherKing, Martin Luther, Jr King’s views through misquotation, a spurious quotation assigned to MahatmaGandhi, Mahatma Gandhi invoked by American politicians across the political spectrum, a quotation associated with Governor Sarah PalinPalin, Sarah that she never said, and the controversy surrounding President DonaldTrump, Donald Trump’s comments about a white supremacist riot in Charlottesville, Virginia.