“Wow. Whoa. That is some group of people. Thousands.
So nice, thank you very much. That’s really nice. Thank you.
It’s great to be at Trump Tower. It’s great to be in a wonderful city, New
York. And it’s an honor to have everybody here. This is beyond anybody’s
expectations. There’s been no crowd like this.
And, I can tell, some of the candidates, they went in. They
didn’t know the air-conditioner didn’t work. They sweated like dogs.
They didn’t know the room was too big, because they didn’t
have anybody there. How are they going to beat ISIS? I don’t think it’s gonna
happen.
Our country is in serious trouble. We don’t have victories
anymore. We used to have victories, but we don’t have them. When was the last
time anybody saw us beating, let’s say, China in a trade deal? They kill us. I
beat China all the time. All the time.”
Second excerpt of Trump’s speech
“Last week, I read 2,300 Humvees— these are big vehicles—
were left behind for the enemy. 2,000? You would say maybe two, maybe four?
2,300 sophisticated vehicles, they ran, and the enemy took them.
Last quarter, it was just announced our gross domestic
product— a sign of strength, right? But not for us. It was below zero. Whoever
heard of this? It’s never below zero.”
Third excerpt of Trump’s speech
“We’ve got nothing. We’ve got Social Security that’s going
to be destroyed if somebody like me doesn’t bring money into the country. All
these other people want to cut the hell out of it. I’m not going to cut it at
all; I’m going to bring money in, and we’re going to save it.”
Rhetorical Critique of Trump’s
Speech
The opening remarks of Donald
Trump in his candidacy announcing (Trump, 2015) is an extra compact brief of
his overall speaking. From attacking the other politicians to presenting his
wealth, mentioning the economic turbulence and reminding threats of other
countries through trade, immigration, and terrorism; he uses the rhetorical
language throughout his speech.
First, he shows gratitude of
being at Trump Tower. This way he draws other's attention to his wealth and
ostentatiously shows his commercial strength at the heart of New York City,
especially to provoke admiration at the very beginning or to show economic
power for any foreseeable cost of the upcoming election campaigns.
He refers to his rivalry candidates
not being able to manage their air-conditioning. Trump says that they are
failed in the very initial step to come along together with people. He compares
their failing to rally people with the presence of thousands of his fans and
extends this comparison to a completely different issue which is a war against
terrorism. He uses the rhetorical strategy of analogy (NC State University, n.d.)
and compares different events to achieve an exaggerated conclusion that extends
without having a likeness. This emphasised conclusion is effective because he
has proven it, apparently, with evidence of his ability to gather people and
his economic power. Trump uses his reputation, authority, and credibility to
persuade others, that is the rhetorical mode of ethos.
In the second example, Trump uses
specific figures and argues based on statistics to highlight the costs of war
in Iraq and the decline of the domestic economy. According to him, what is
going on in Iraq is a futile attempt. Meanwhile, he emphasises the lowest GDP
level in the US which is below zero. The juxtaposition of two different
consequences of the policy provides him with the logical base to argue against
that policy. This is the rhetorical mode that refers to clarity, truthful
reason, and evidence, which is ethos.
In the third excerpt, Trump
utilises certain emotions to achieve a persuasive speech. He appeals to public
support by raising issues relating to social security and people’s life. Trump emphasises
on the generic problem that people mostly “suffering” of. Trump uses people's emotions in relation to
their lives and this is a good example of pathos.
In conclusion, in his opening remarks, Trump has used a variety of rhetorical
techniques to encourage people to support him in the presidential election.
References:
NC State University (n.d.) Rhetorical
Devices. Retrieved September 23, 2019,
from https://projects.ncsu.edu/eslglobe/nmswishe/100_rhetorical%20devices.htm
Trump, D, J. (2015, July 17). Watch Donald Trump announce his
candidacy for U.S. president [Video file]. Retrieved on 17 August 2019 from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SpMJx0-HyOM
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