Braden Trimmer

Dr. Hellen Kailiti

English Composition I

Political Rhetoric Analysis

Speakers have been using Aristotle’s ideas of logos, ethos, and pathos for centuries to

create persuasive arguments—from the Roman emperors to the dictators of the 20th century to

modern day politicians. In the 2016 presidential election, the writer in charge of Donald Trump’s

speeches had very effective use of logos, ethos, and pathos, as well as style and connection with

his audience, in order to create a compelling argument both to vote for him, and to not vote for

his opponent, Hillary Clinton.

Logos, ethos, and pathos are the main structure of an argument, and Trump’s

speechwriter uses them very effectively. Examples of logos include statistics such as “We’ve lost

nearly one third of our manufacturing jobs since these two Hillary-backed agreements were

signed,” (Trump) and appeals to the audience’s logic such as “We’ll never be able to fix a rigged

system by counting on the same people who’ve rigged it in the first place.” (Trump) Putting

aside whether or not these figures or claims are accurate or not, they are very persuasive in the

moment, as they illustrate tangible effects of policy on the country using numbers and reasoning.

Ethos is used often as well: “Hillary Clinton...doesn’t have...as Bernie Sanders said, very

strongly, the judgment to be president,” (Trump) “...the book Clinton Cash by Peter Schweitzer,”

(Trump) and “...in the words of a secret service agent posted outside the Oval Office.” (Trump)

All of these quotes from Trump’s speech show him appealing to the audience by expressing that

his opinion is the same as household, credible names, or people with authority (Bernie Sanders, a

secret service agent posted outside the Oval Office). Finally, and most effectively, Trump’s

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speechwriter employs Pathos to win over the audience. “...world class liar,” “I started off...with a

small loan and built a business,” “we will lose our country,” “radical terrorism,” “She gets rich

off of making you poor,” (Trump) and so much more. All of these examples incite emotions in

the audience and get them riled up against whatever Trump wants them to be. Logos, ethos, and

pathos in perfect harmony create a compelling argument, and Trump’s speechwriter is a

testament to that fact.

Logos, ethos, and pathos are not the only things that create a compelling argument,

however. Style is a very important piece of the puzzle to make an audience connect with an

orator. In Trump’s speech, his writer uses a variety of rhetorical devices, figurative language, and

tone to make Trump’s speech more persuasive. Some examples of devices employed by Trump’s

speechwriter include repetition such as “jobs, jobs jobs,” (Trump) three adjectives in a row: ‘the

rule of threes’ (Mr Kolber's Teaching) like in “bigger and better and stronger than ever before,”

(Trump) and alliteration such as “who they are, what they are, what they believe, where they

come from.” (Trump) All of these rhetorical devices are useful to keep the audience engaged and

create a sense of style to the speech. They get Trump’s point across while also building his

credibility as an orator with an excellent grasp on the nuances of the language. Tone is also an

important part of Trump's style in his speech. While delivering his speech, Trump makes sure to

sound as serious as the topics he’s discussing are, but also knows when to bend. Irony such as

“have we ever heard of her [Hillary Clinton] deleting anything? No, I don’t think so,” (Trump)

breaks up his speech and allows the audience to further connect with him, increasing how

persuasive he can be. Finally, Trump’s speechwriter employs plenty of figurative language to

make his arguments more relatable, similar to irony. Metaphors such as “The voters are the jury.

Their ballots are the verdict,” (Trump) connect ideas from his speech to things that the audience

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are familiar with. Plenty of aspects of style, such as rhetorical devices, tone, and figurative

language, are employed effectively by Trump’s speechwriter to make Trump’s speeches more

persuasive.

Finally, Donald Trump’s speechwriter uses multiple strategies to connect with the

audience. Quotes such as “We come to work together and turn visions into reality. We think big,

and then we make it happen,” “as you know,” “I started off in Brooklyn, New York,” “what our

country could be,” “...only want to raise their kids in peace and safety,” “we could rebuild every

inner city in America for the amount of money Hillary Clinton would like to spend on refugees,”

“...here are a few things a Trump administration will do for the...American people...our country,”

(Trump) etc. all are designed to convince the audience that he understands their perspective.

Describing himself as a self-made man (“I started off in Brooklyn”), he appeals to the audience’s

sense of community, which increases his credibility. His speechwriter also created passages that

illustrate how Trump understands the struggles of the audience (“...only want to raise their kids

in safety”), which allow them to feel he will be able to represent them better in office. Finally,

sentences like “We think big, and then we make it happen” encourage the audience to see Trump

as a collaborator in something that they are doing, helping to increase connection with the

audience.

The combination of rhetorical tools employed by Trump’s speechwriter were so

successful, in fact, that he ended up winning the 2016 presidential election by obtaining more

electoral votes than Hillary Clinton. Logos, ethos, and pathos, as well as style and audience

connection, all made Trump’s argument more persuasive and helped to sway over sixty million

people to his side—although he did only win 62,984,828 popular votes to Clinton’s 65,853,514.

All three of these tools, employed together, culminated in persuasive speeches which have

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continued to define his campaigns. His style has become even more refined as time has passed,

through the period of his presidency to the 2020 and 2024 presidential elections. Nowadays, with

another election coming upon us, we must be aware of the techniques employed by Trump and

other politicians on both sides of the spectrum who wish to gain our vote. Understanding when

these tools are being used will help us vote based on our reasoning and beliefs, and not simply be

persuaded to one side or the other by manipulative speeches.

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 Works Cited

Mr Kolber's Teaching. “Donald Trump’s Use of Persuasive Techniques.” YouTube, 25

Aug. 2016, www.youtube.com/watch?v=DdMfdv4JgtU. Accessed 19 Oct. 2024.

Trump, Donald. Donald Trump’s Full Anti-Hillary Clinton Speech in NYC. Video.

270toWin. “Presidential Election of 2016.” 270towin.com, Electoral Ventures LLC,

2016, www.270towin.com/2016_Election/. Accessed 19 Oct. 2024.