Through an examination of consequential apologies and non-apologies, this book explains the contemporary dominance of non-apology in US politics and demonstrates the high stakes associated with the rejection of apology.

Apology and non-apology are competing philosophies for managing human relationships. Case studies include Donald Trump and the conservative media ecosystem's response to felony convictions Trump received in May 2024 for falsifying business records as well as the rhetoric of Barack Obama – whose repentant gestures toward peoples harmed by US foreign policy triggered a conservative backlash that deepened partisan divides over apology. The authors investigate a speech that is the antithesis of Obama's efforts to reckon with tragic moments in US history: Trump's 2020 Fourth of July address at Mount Rushmore. Inverting the global trend where heads of state offer collective apologies to communities that have suffered historical injustices, Trump offered a collective apologia that disavowed guilt for the nation's “original sins.” Trump's unapologetic rhetoric is a departure from, rather than a seamless continuation of, the way previous conservative leaders narrated US history. Previous iterations of conservatism were more open to repentant rhetoric than Trump-era conservatism.

Ultimately, this book outlines dangers created when society devalues apology. The decline of apology threatens democracy by denying shared humanity and weakening responsiveness to the pain of others. The normalization of non-apology creates a toxic, traumatic culture for victims of wrongdoing. However, there is a roadmap for rehabilitating the apologetic tradition so that society can better navigate violations of moral orders.

Jacob Justice is Assistant Professor of Speech Communication and the Director of Forensics in the Department of Writing and Rhetoric at the University of Mississippi, USA.

Brett Bricker is Associate Director of Debate and Head Debate Coach in the Department of Communication Studies at the University of Kansas, USA.