--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I don't think Donald Trump is an…" description: "\"I don't think Donald Trump is an ideologue, so it's not really his policies that I think are going to maybe fire people up. It's his rhetoric and, you ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c99/megyn-kelly-1440_dangerous_i-don-t-think-donald-trump-is-an-ideolog_579277.png" --- # I don't think Donald Trump is an ideologue, so it's not… ![“I don't think Donald Trump is an ideologue, so it's not really his policies that I think are going to maybe fire people up. It's his rhetoric and, you know, his willingness to wield power in a manner that can be potentially exploitative and dangerous.” quote by Megyn Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c99/megyn-kelly-1440_dangerous_i-don-t-think-donald-trump-is-an-ideolog_579277.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c99/megyn-kelly-1440_dangerous_i-don-t-think-donald-trump-is-an-ideolog_579277.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c99/megyn-kelly-1440_dangerous_i-don-t-think-donald-trump-is-an-ideolog_579277.png) > “I don't think Donald Trump is an ideologue, so it's not really his policies that I think are going to maybe fire people up. It's his rhetoric and, you know, his willingness to wield power in a manner that can be potentially exploitative and dangerous.” [Megyn Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megyn-kelly/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Trump’s influence stems more from his persuasive, often exploitative rhetoric than from a consistent ideology. **In simple terms:** Rhetoric, not ideology, drives his impact. Key Takeaway Critically evaluate political rhetoric. Themes politics media leadership Mood analytical critical Type political media When to use this quote - campaign analysis - media literacy - public debates - policy discussions Key Concepts populism power dynamics propaganda political communication Questions to Reflect On - How does rhetoric shape public perception? - What tools help discern rhetoric from policy? A Different Perspective Rhetoric can be misinterpreted as policy substance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Fire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fire/) [Ideologues](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideologues/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Rhetoric](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rhetoric/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Willingness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/willingness/) ## Related quotes > [Donald Trump is often derided as a man of impulse and ego without conviction or belief. This is true on most questions of politics…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamelle-bouie/donald-trump-is-often-derided-as-a-man-of-impulse-and-ego-without/) [Jamelle Bouie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamelle-bouie/) > [I want to be a straight shooter about what policies I think are good, what policies I think are bad. But I also think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-katharine-ham/i-want-to-be-a-straight-shooter-about-what-policies-i-think-are-good/) [Mary Katharine Ham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-katharine-ham/) > [I am not going to stop speaking out on behalf of policies that I think are right - regardless of ideology, party or political…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-ford-jr/i-am-not-going-to-stop-speaking-out-on-behalf-of-policies-that-i/) [Harold Ford, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-ford-jr/) > [It's to come up with a deal that both sides feel they can live with. And I think that that's probably where we're going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/it-s-to-come-up-with-a-deal-that-both-sides-feel-they-can-live-with/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [I think Donald Trump is truly a populist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megyn-kelly/i-think-donald-trump-is-truly-a-populist/) [Megyn Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megyn-kelly/) > [If the popular thing to do is to say you have to ban flag burning, even if it ultimately means we're compromising a core…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megyn-kelly/if-the-popular-thing-to-do-is-to-say-you-have-to-ban-flag-burning/) [Megyn Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megyn-kelly/) > [We must stop the Tea Party before the United States Senate falls into the hands of extremists and ideologues who leave no room for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-reid/we-must-stop-the-tea-party-before-the-united-states-senate-falls-into/) [Harry Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-reid/) > [I guess intractable right-wing ideologues are my mortal enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janeane-garofalo/i-guess-intractable-right-wing-ideologues-are-my-mortal-enemy/) [Janeane Garofalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janeane-garofalo/) > [Building on exhaustive research and probing into such diverse enterprises as textbook production and marketing, public education, and state-level politics, Adam R. Shapiro has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randall-balmer/building-on-exhaustive-research-and-probing-into-such-diverse/) Randall Balmer > [These guys who talk about free markets, they're not ideologues; they're crooks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cusack/these-guys-who-talk-about-free-markets-they-re-not-ideologues-they-re/) [John Cusack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cusack/) > [I don't hire ideologues or zealots.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritchie-torres/i-don-t-hire-ideologues-or-zealots/) [Ritchie Torres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritchie-torres/) > [National security advisors are not there to be advocates, generally. They're not there to be partisans, they're not there to be ideologues.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-o-donnell/national-security-advisors-are-not-there-to-be-advocates-generally/) [Lawrence O'Donnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-o-donnell/) > [We should not allow a tiny minority of shoddy scientists and science and extreme ideologues to compete with scientific facts,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kerry/we-should-not-allow-a-tiny-minority-of-shoddy-scientists-and-science/) [John F. Kerry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kerry/) > [Almost all scholarly research carries practical and political implications. Better that we should spell these out ourselves than leave that task to people with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-coontz/almost-all-scholarly-research-carries-practical-and-political/) [Stephanie Coontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-coontz/) > [Relativity was a highly technical new theory that gave new meanings to familiar concepts and even to the nature of the theory itself. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-c-cassidy/relativity-was-a-highly-technical-new-theory-that-gave-new-meanings/) David C. Cassidy ## More by Megyn Kelly > [ \[Donald Trump\] knows he's going to get hit, though. He's the president. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megyn-kelly/donald-trump-knows-he-s-going-to-get-hit-though-he-s-the-president/) [Megyn Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megyn-kelly/) > [“What confused me was that by this point, Trump was winning the race for the nomination. He had vanquished everyone but Ted Cruz, who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megyn-kelly/what-confused-me-was-that-by-this-point-trump-was-winning-the-race/) [Megyn Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megyn-kelly/) > [Mitt Romney's numbers are crushing Donald Trump's numbers with women. Crushing them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megyn-kelly/mitt-romney-s-numbers-are-crushing-donald-trump-s-numbers-with-women/) [Megyn Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megyn-kelly/) > [“Her philosophy is very empowering—that everything we want or need in life we can have, and we can get for ourselves. (She also believes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megyn-kelly/her-philosophy-is-very-empowering-that-everything-we-want-or-need-in/) [Megyn Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megyn-kelly/) > [Steve Bannon, too, needs to be a unifier, doesn't he, as the senior adviser.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megyn-kelly/steve-bannon-too-needs-to-be-a-unifier-doesn-t-he-as-the-senior/) [Megyn Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megyn-kelly/) > [I'm conservative on some things, and I'm not on others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megyn-kelly/i-m-conservative-on-some-things-and-i-m-not-on-others/) [Megyn Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megyn-kelly/) > [If you're wearing a pair of shoes that's a little flashy, then it's important not to be flashy up top and vice versa.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megyn-kelly/if-you-re-wearing-a-pair-of-shoes-that-s-a-little-flashy-then-it-s/) [Megyn Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megyn-kelly/) > [If you don't believe in in-state tuition, you don't have a heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megyn-kelly/if-you-don-t-believe-in-in-state-tuition-you-don-t-have-a-heart/) [Megyn Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megyn-kelly/) > [The reason to have more racial diversity on any team is because it's helpful to have different perspectives on any issue. And I also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megyn-kelly/the-reason-to-have-more-racial-diversity-on-any-team-is-because-it-s/) [Megyn Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megyn-kelly/) > [Im a soulless lawyer. Give me any opinion and I can argue it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megyn-kelly/im-a-soulless-lawyer-give-me-any-opinion-and-i-can-argue-it/) [Megyn Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megyn-kelly/) > [“the First Amendment exists to protect controversial speech, not speech we love that ruffles no feathers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megyn-kelly/the-first-amendment-exists-to-protect-controversial-speech-not-speech/) [Megyn Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megyn-kelly/) > [If I were Sarah Palin, would I want to sit in an interview with someone who was secretly out to get me? Probably not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megyn-kelly/if-i-were-sarah-palin-would-i-want-to-sit-in-an-interview-with/) [Megyn Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megyn-kelly/) > [I was never lined up outside of my bosses office saying 'Give me an opportunity; there's not a woman in primetime'... I was just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megyn-kelly/i-was-never-lined-up-outside-of-my-bosses-office-saying-give-me-an/) [Megyn Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megyn-kelly/) > [This is America. We're allowed to draw whatever we want.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megyn-kelly/this-is-america-we-re-allowed-to-draw-whatever-we-want/) [Megyn Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megyn-kelly/) > [What I don't like is talking points.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megyn-kelly/what-i-don-t-like-is-talking-points/) [Megyn Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megyn-kelly/) [Explore all 241 Megyn Kelly quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megyn-kelly/) ## More Dangerous quotes > [So the fool, as distinct from the scoundrel, is completely self- satisfied; in fact, he can easily become dangerous, as it does not take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/so-the-fool-as-distinct-from-the-scoundrel-is-completely-self/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [Every one knows that the exercise of military power is forever dangerous to civil rights; and we have had recent instances of violences that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-adams/every-one-knows-that-the-exercise-of-military-power-is-forever/) [Samuel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-adams/) > [ Teaching might even be the greatest of the arts since the medium is the human mind and spirit. My three \[great teachers\] did not… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/teaching-might-even-be-the-greatest-of-the-arts-since-the-medium-is/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [We're not very dangerous animals; we don't have a horn like a rhino or quills like a porcupine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-fisher/we-re-not-very-dangerous-animals-we-don-t-have-a-horn-like-a-rhino-or/) [Helen Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-fisher/) > [“It is dangerous to lock oneself away and lose track of what is happening outside.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-hardinge/it-is-dangerous-to-lock-oneself-away-and-lose-track-of-what-is/) [Frances Hardinge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-hardinge/) > [Its extremely dangerous to compare anyone else to Shakespeare.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-spacey/its-extremely-dangerous-to-compare-anyone-else-to-shakespeare/) [Kevin Spacey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-spacey/) > [In my youth-team days, I was always a left-winger who would stay close to the byline and put crosses in the box, so I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arjen-robben/in-my-youth-team-days-i-was-always-a-left-winger-who-would-stay-close/) [Arjen Robben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arjen-robben/) > [The temptations of God were always more dangerous for mankind than those of Satan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/the-temptations-of-god-were-always-more-dangerous-for-mankind-than/) [Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/) > [When you start talking about elections being rigged, you're pushing people beyond democratic governance. And it's a very, very dangerous thing to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/when-you-start-talking-about-elections-being-rigged-you-re-pushing/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [The Patriot Act is certainly a concern; all of those things are dangerous. I think more important than me preaching is that we as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-clooney/the-patriot-act-is-certainly-a-concern-all-of-those-things-are/) [George Clooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-clooney/) > [Die gefährlichste Weltanschauung ist die Weltanschauung derer, die die Welt nie angeschaut haben. (The most dangerous worldview is the worldview of those who have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-von-humboldt/die-gef-hrlichste-weltanschauung-ist-die-weltanschauung-derer-die-die/) [Alexander von Humboldt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-von-humboldt/) > [The most dangerous creature here would have to be me. So maybe I'm just scared of my own shadow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/the-most-dangerous-creature-here-would-have-to-be-me-so-maybe-i-m/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [The more people that learn about you, even if you're an underdog, then you can come under fire a lot and the more attention…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerard-way/the-more-people-that-learn-about-you-even-if-you-re-an-underdog-then/) [Gerard Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerard-way/) > [Anyone who maintains absolute standards of good and evil is dangerous. As dangerous as a maniac with a loaded revolver.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/anyone-who-maintains-absolute-standards-of-good-and-evil-is-dangerous/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [The proliferation of right-to-carry laws throughout the states has drawn plaintive complaints from the criminal element. They feel that it makes their profession too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-cooper/the-proliferation-of-right-to-carry-laws-throughout-the-states-has/) [Jeff Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-cooper/) Browse all 6,450 Dangerous quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I don't think Donald Trump is an ideologue, so it's not really his policies that I think are going to maybe fire people up. 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