Follows proven pattern
These are the words Trump likes to use
By Maximilian Perseke
31.05.2024, 21:49
Listen to article
This audio version was artificially generated. More info | Send feedback
In response to the guilty verdict on all 34 charges against him, former US President Donald Trump gave two speeches. They were declarations of war against the justice system and the political system in the USA. Trump’s strategy: saying certain words very often.
Former US President Donald Trump has stuck to a certain speech pattern for years. He speaks in short and simple sentences and repeats words. The latter can be seen as a rhetorical device to anchor messages and images in the minds of his listeners. Apparently according to the motto “more is better”. This was also recently noticeable in the reactions to his guilty verdict on all 34 counts in connection with the falsification of business documents.
His first statement takes place right outside the courthouse and lasts less than two minutes. One of the most prominent words is “disgrace” and, as a variation, “disgraceful”. Trump uses this to describe the verdict and the actions against him in general. He uses the description four times in less than two minutes. He uses the word “rigged” five times in reference to the verdict, the court and the political system in the USA.
Consistent for years
In his longer statement the day after the verdict, he used both words again. This time, however, the frequently used word “conflicted” stands out even more, with which he describes Judge Juan Merchan and accuses him of a conflict of interest. Trump also mentions the “gag order” that was imposed on him several times. The Trump universe is revealed in just a few words.
Trump’s rhetoric has been under scrutiny for years. An analysis by CNN came to the conclusion in 2017 that Trump “adopts formulations and uses them again and again”. In 2016, the linguist Elisabeth Wehling judged that Trump speaks the language of a fourth-grader. In her opinion, however, this is not to his disadvantage. It is always the simple, concrete language that names things in an understandable way.
This has been evident for years in dichotomies such as good-evil schemes. His description of the judge who presided over the criminal trial against him: “He looks like an angel, but he is actually a devil.” Trump creates a very clear and moral image that everyone understands, even if there is no substance or even well-founded arguments behind it.
Trump describes himself as the exact opposite of his opponents, who he considers to be “a disgrace,” “contradictory,” and “corrupt.” He is a “very innocent man.” “Very” is also a word that experts say Trump uses more often than average.