Governing with the Image of the Enemy: False Narratives, Fear Visualities, and Symbolic Struggles in Trump’s Anti-Migrant Politics

“Governing with the Image of the Enemy: False Narratives, Fear Visualities, and Symbolic Struggles in Trump’s Anti-Migrant Politics” examines how Donald Trump’s administration deploys manipulated images, misleading audiovisual content, and fabricated documents to frame migrants—especially Latinos—as public enemies. Drawing on three fact-checking reports by Lupa Media, the author shows how decontextualized photos, AI-generated videos, and staged deportation letters operate as visual devices of power that fuel fear, misinformation, and social control. Using concepts such as post-truth, the society of control, political bots, and counter-visuality, the chapter argues that images become symbolic weapons that shape emotions, legitimize authoritarian policies, and reinforce xenophobic narratives within the U.S. public sphere.