verb
- to act as a demagogue; to appeal to people’s emotions and prejudices rather than their reason in order to gain political support
Usage: present participle of demagogue
Examples
- The politician was accused of demagoguing on immigration issues.
- Rather than presenting facts, he spent the debate demagoguing about his opponent’s character.
- The candidate’s supporters criticized the media for claiming she was demagoguing.
- Demagoguing may win votes in the short term but damages democratic discourse.
- The town hall meeting devolved into demagoguing instead of productive discussion.
- Critics argued that demagoguing had replaced substantive policy debate.