Donald Trump's Use Of Rhetorical Appeal In The Presidential Debate

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The presidential debate is all about persuading Americans who is best equipped to make the lives of the American citizens better. The candidates running for office must persuade the American citizens that they are the right man or woman to successfully turn the nation in the right direction. Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are both in the running to becoming the next President of the United States. During their Presidential debate both Clinton and Trump used rhetorical appeals to gain the voters’ attention and their vote. Rhetorical appeals include 3 elements of persuasion; Ethos, Pathos, and Logos. Ethos is an ethical appeal which uses the writer’s own credibility or character to make a case and gain approval. Pathos is an appeal that invokes
Trump used an example of ethos when he mentioned a close friend of his. Trump said, “so we’re losing our good jobs, when you look at what’s happening in Mexico, a friend of mine who builds plants said it’s the eighth wonder of the world. They’re building some of the biggest plants anywhere in the world, some of the most sophisticated, some of the best plants. With the United States, as he said, not so much.” When he says a friend of mine, he is branding himself as someone with global ties and knowledgeable associates. Trump displays an example of logos when he says “We cannot let it happen. Under my plan, I’ll be reducing taxes tremendously, from 35 percent to 15 percent for small companies and big businesses, I’m going to be a job creator like we haven’t seen since Ronald Reagan, it’s going to be a beautiful thing to watch” (Collins 2016). Trump is persuading the audience with logic. He is telling voters how he can reduce taxes from a certain percentage and when he enacts his plan more jobs will be available. He is also using the success of him building a big company. Moreover, he likes to mention how he went to the Wharton School of Finance which is one the most prestigious business schools in the world, indicating what a smart person he is. During the debate, Trump mentioned how he believed previous United States Generals would not like Hillary Clinton’s website because of some things she has posted. He stated “and look at her website. You know what? It’s no difference than this, she’s telling us how to fight ISIS. Just go to her website. She tells you how to fight ISIS on her website, I don’t think General Douglas MacArthur would like that too much” (Collins 2016). That quote is an example of pathos because he uses a sense of humor to connect with the audience on how he believes she’s incompetent to become the next President of the United

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