AbstractsBiology & Animal Science

This study aims at uncovering the discourses in Donald Trump’s announcement speech and their relation to his campaign slogan Make America Great Again. Through a thorough analysis of his speech, we have identified thematic categories and used critical discourse studies (CDS), to denaturalise the discourses he produces and reproduces in a socio-cultural and socio-political context. Our method of Critical Discourse Analysis is based on Fairclough, complemented by Wodak, Richardson and van Dijk, to create a framework capable of analysing the case at hand. In addition to the announcement speech, we have found multiple examples to add perspective and create a more holistic picture of Trump’s rhetorical practices. Our findings include right-wing populist, neoliberal and even arguably fascist discourses, all rooted in Trumps strategy of blaming the Other. Advisors/Committee Members: Lapenta, Francesco (advisor).