Document Type
Thesis - Open Access
Award Date
2019
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department / School
Communication Studies and Theatre
First Advisor
Rebecca A. Kuehl
Abstract
In this thesis, I utilized three distinct theories (ideographs, dramatism, and the bully pulpit) to rhetorically analyze and assess President Trump’s 2017 inaugural address. Ultimately, I analyzed whether Trump deviated from Campbell and Jamieson’s (1985) presidential inaugural expectations. While the presidential inaugural address was the only text analyzed, implications were drawn from Trump’s rhetoric leading up to and within the inaugural. This thesis also analyzed Trump’s rhetoric through social media, specifically Twitter, and looked at the context surrounding the inaugural. I suggest, through my research, that Trump does deviate from the traditional framework of the inaugural address, and ultimately modernized the inaugural through his language. The analysis provided insight into who Donald J. Trump is as a rhetor and the modern use of each theoretical lens.
Library of Congress Subject Headings
Trump, Donald, 1946- -- Oratory.
Trump, Donald, 1946- -- Inauguration, 2017.
Presidents -- United States -- Inaugural addresses.
Speeches, addresses, etc., American.
Speeches, addresses, etc. -- 21st century.
Communication in politics.
Rhetoric.
Format
application/pdf
Number of Pages
129
Publisher
South Dakota State University
Recommended Citation
Dickerson, Danielle F., "Make the Inaugural Great Again: A Rhetorical Analysis of Donald J. Trump’s Inaugural Address" (2019). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 3166.
https://openprairie.sdstate.edu/etd/3166
Included in
American Politics Commons, Social Influence and Political Communication Commons, Social Media Commons, Speech and Rhetorical Studies Commons
Rights Statement
