Rhetorical Analysis Of President Trump's Inaugural Address

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President Trump was sworn into office this past Friday and, just like every president that has come before him, he gave an inaugural address. Promising to “make America great again,” it seems as though the American dream will soon be in reach- but that wasn’t the message most Americans received from his address. Inaugural addresses are known to set the tone for the upcoming presidential administration. Abraham Lincoln, who led the United States through a civil war, used his first address to persuade the southern states not to secede. Barack Obama, the first African American President, used his address to promise a “post-racial” presidency. Trump’s speech seems to insinuate his years as president are going to be spent giving power back to the people. He used phrases like, “the oath of office I take today is an oath of allegiance to all Americans,” and the constant use of the word “we” to suggest that he is the same as the rest of us. It’s odd that a Republican president would spread the populist idea that during his time in the oval office he would give the power to ordinary people. …show more content…

You think Trump would continue the trend after losing the popular vote but it seems as though he was okay with matching the dark tone he took on during his campaign speeches. At least he’s consistent. {STRUCTURE} On average, inaugural addresses are around 2,337 words long. The very first inaugural address, George Washington’s, was 1,431 words. Trump’s was 1,433. Both are significantly under the average by the same number of words and one was the beginning of a historical presidency- will history repeat

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