Running Head: Analyzing President Trumps Clever

Rhetoric

By Justin Lyman

June 11, 2017

 Analyzing President Trumps Clever Rhetoric 1

Throughout the course of political history, politicians have never ceased in their attempts to

persuade the voters their way. Within the course of the last calendar election, Republican Presidential

frontrunner --and now President-- Donald Trump ran with powerful and provocative speeches that were

able to wake the Silent Majority: the forgotten man, the neglected American. Trumps most prominent

beliefs in helping to ensure the dreams of the voters and mandating more power to individual states are

manifest in his inauguration speech, given on Friday, January 20, 2017 in Washington D.C. This speech

focuses on redistributing political power from the long-held Democratic establishment in Washington to

the people of the United States. Its a speech that captivated the masses, each word more powerful than

the next. How did he do it? How does he still continue to do it as President? The answer is a strong

rhetoric, focused on repetition of certain words that reach the people, regardless of race, sexual

orientation, or anything else. This rhetorical device draws upon the repetition of certain words for literary

emphasis and has been used in some of the greatest, most powerful speeches of all time. As much as

anyone will try to convince you, President Trump is not an unintelligent man. Hes a man of his word; full

of words which captivate through a strong rhetoric filled with repetition.

Near the start of his inauguration speech, President Trump draws upon another rhetorical device

besides repetition. Trump (2017) states,

For too long, a small group in our nations Capital has reaped the rewards of government while

the people have borne the cost. Washington flourished but the people did not share in its wealth.

Politicians prospered but the jobs left, and the factories closed. The establishment protected

itself, but not the citizens of our country. (para. 7-10)

Repetition of the people and certain phrases that show Washingtons power such as Politicians

prospered create a clear picture of what President Trump wants those within earshot to understand.
 Analyzing President Trumps Clever Rhetoric 2

Trump uses another strong rhetorical device of contrast in this excerpt, which paints a seemingly black

and white difference between the Politicians and the people, the politicians in an ominous black, the

people in a redemptive white. This particular use of rhetoric by President Trump is noticeable throughout

his speech, especially towards the beginning. By putting emphasis and repetition on the people and

contrast them to the Washington politicians, he is able to reach a wide audience of Americans on both

wings of the political spectrum, all looking to challenge the establishment.

As the speech continues, President Trump makes a specific promise for his America First

domestic policy. Trump (2017) states,

We will bring back our jobs. We will bring back our borders. We will bring back our wealth. And

we will bring back our dreams. We will build new roads, and highways, and bridges, and airports,

and tunnels, and railways all across our wonderful nation. We will get our people off of welfare

and back to work rebuilding our country with American hands and American labor. We will

follow two simple rules: Buy American and Hire American. (para. 43-46)

Repetition of the words we and our become especially important at this point in the

Presidents speech. Again, its a call to the people for more than just taking back their lives; its a

challenge to traditional political authority. These lines are arguably some of the most powerful of his

whole speech. Why? His commanding rhetorical stance inspires the his Silent Majority and countless

Americans which he has worked for, and will continue to work for, to take control of their lives and their

country. President Trumps rhetoric is highly persuasive and able to reach a broad demographic of

Americans. He draws upon the power of repetition to create emphasis on certain words which unify a

politically correct and dysfunctional nation. This strong tool is used in many of his speeches, creating a

very consistent speech pattern that is easily distinguishable from other politicians of our time. This clear

persuasiveness was more than enough to hand him the White House for the next 4 years. If he continues,

perhaps the possibility of another term in Office isnt so far fetched.

 Analyzing President Trumps Clever Rhetoric 3

References

Trump, D. (2017). The inaugural address. Retrieved from

https://www.whitehouse.gov/inaugural-address
 Analyzing President Trumps Clever Rhetoric 4

Whitaker, M. (2016). Editorial: rural America and silent majority powered Trump to a win. Retrieved

from

https://goo.gl/p4kw3M