Homolar & Scholz apply this aperçu to the 2016 American election but it works equally well for Brexit:
"Political rhetoric often encourages individuals to interpret a situation as a crisis by using terminology that evokes 2/
…
At the heart of ‘Trump-speak’ is a _politics of reassurance_, which relies upon a three-fold rhetorical strategy:
1) it tells audiences what is wrong with the current state of affairs;
2) it identifies the 4/
3) it offers an abstract pathway through which people can restore past greatness by _opting for a high-risk outsider candidate._ [economists use this in other cases, e.g. 5/
For many Trump voters, _rational arguments or detailed policy proposals pale in comparison with the emotive pull and self-affirmation of an _us-versus-them crisis narrative_ [works in Thucydides too], 6/
…
*In original "for political gain" follows "eradicate." I've improved the prose -- perhaps incorrectly! -- to make it modify "relies" not "promises" or "eradicate" DPT 8/
"The power of Trump-speak: populist crisis narratives and ontological security"
Alexandra Homolar and Ronny Scholz
University of Warwick 9/