Rhetorical Analysis Of Donald Trump's Inaugural Address

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On January 20, 2017, The Inauguration of the forty fourth president took place in Washington DC. President Donald Trump walked up to the podium confidential to give his speech. To Americans the Inauguration is traditional and it’s symbolic of a change in power. Because it demonstrates the president's plans for the next four years and it assures the population that the country would be in good hands, the inaugural speech must be effective. Trumps inaugural speech contains pathos but it lacks in ethos, logos; a convincing and effective speech will have all three components. Trump uses pathos in his inaugural speech to gain the audience’s approval. He especially attempts to invoke feelings of anger in the crowd through his use of patriotic statements. Trump declares, “From this day forward, it's going to be only America first, America first.” This is effective because it implicitly says during other presidential administrations America was not the priority, so anyone listening will believe Trump’s intentions are to …show more content…

Towards the end of the speech Trump tries to deem himself religious by saying, “And most importantly, we will be protected by God.” however, he doesn't have a religious reputation. Trump already has a questionable reputation; whenever he is seen on the news, the story is scandalous. From making fun of a disabled reporter, inappropriately touching women, to lying about his taxes and many more Trump can't be seen as a credible man. Another attempt to establish a trustworthy reputation is when Trump says, “The oath of office I take today is an oath of allegiance to all Americans.” Trump is swearing his loyalty in front of thousands; this is an attempt to demonstrate that he can be held accountable for his words. However, having his word doesn't establish his credibility because Trump has little to no political background. The final downfall of his speech is his failed attempt to appeal to

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