Great Again: A Rhetorical Criticism of Donald Trump's Inaugural Address
Presentation Type
Research Study
Release Option
Metadata Only
Description
The key purpose of this presentation is to analyze Donald Trump’s 2017 inaugural address from the viewpoint of rhetorical criticism. More specifically, through the lenses of ideological and genre criticism. Regarding ideological criticism of Trump’s inaugural, his intentions, word choice, rhetorical situation, and underlying themes of his address were assessed from an ideological standpoint. The “MAGA” ideology was revealed to be present in Trump’s inaugural address through his rhetoric regarding hegemony and his attempts to domesticate this resistant ideology on the national stage. When Trump’s address was approached from the perspective of genre criticism, he proved to have operated within the parameters of the appropriate genre for the most part. Trump adhered to most major principles within the genre of inaugural addresses, but there were a handful of instances throughout his speech where he subliminally strayed from the path of precedent. In summary, this essay served to unpack both the essence and presence of the MAGA ideology; in addition to analyzing Trump’s inaugural address from the viewpoint of genre.
Faculty Mentor
Shana Bridges
Department of Primary Presenter's Major
Department of Communication Arts
Symposium Year
2024
Great Again: A Rhetorical Criticism of Donald Trump's Inaugural Address
