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Trump’s Oklahoma rally speech was 1 hour 40 mins long. This is the length of a movie, and the audience is engaged throughout - chanting/cheering. Most speakers can only hold audience attention for 18 mins (hence the TED limit). Why can Trump last longer?
The key, like in the movies, is conflict. Robert McKee’s book ‘Story’ says movies revolves around a strong protagonist overcoming forces of antagonism to achieve the object of their desire. So it is with a Trump speech.
He has three main forces of antagonism he focuses on -
- Fake news
- Sleepy Joe and the Democrats
- The ‘radical left’
Like a good movie maker, he establishes these conflicts quickly, mentioning all three in his first 100 words, and using the rest of the speech to elaborate
- Fake news
- Sleepy Joe and the Democrats
- The ‘radical left’
Like a good movie maker, he establishes these conflicts quickly, mentioning all three in his first 100 words, and using the rest of the speech to elaborate
Enemisation is often used as part of a wider rhetorical strategy. It’s easy to bring people together in opposition to another group of people. It’s particularly effective when people are scared or feel out of control. For Trump, now, it is central to his rhetorical strategy.
More so than in 2016, his speeches are weighted towards lengthy enemisation...
‘I’m draining the swamp. I never knew it was so deep. But it’s happening. It’s happening. It’s deep and thick and a lot of bad characters.’
‘I’m draining the swamp. I never knew it was so deep. But it’s happening. It’s happening. It’s deep and thick and a lot of bad characters.’
‘Do you ever notice Biden often gets the state wrong? He’s in Iowa and he says it’s good to be in Idaho. No, no, you’re in Iowa. He’s in New Hampshire and he says it’s great to be in Ohio. No, no, no, you’re in New Hampshire. That happens all the time! Hasn’t happened to me yet.’
‘Americans have watched left wing radicals burn down buildings, loot businesses, destroy private property, injure hundreds of dedicated police officers. They get injured, don’t complain... only to hear the radical fake news say what a beautiful rally it was.’
‘The unhinged left wing mob is trying to vandalize our history, desecrate our monuments, our beautiful monuments. Tear down our statues and punish, cancel and persecute anyone who does not conform to their demands for absolute and total control.’
Look what happens when you disagree. They call you racist. They call you a horrible person. They want to crush religion. Silence religious believers, indoctrinate your children with hateful, vicious lies about our country, subsidize late term abortion and after birth execution.
When Biden first ran for president over 33 years ago, he blatantly copied the speech of a British politician, even ripping off the man’s personal biography and family history and claiming it was his own. He forgot to say he was born in America. Joe Biden is a shameless hypocrite.
After 1 hour 30 mins of slagging off his enemies, he starts turning to the positive political agenda - justice reform, better schools immigration. So approx a 9:1 ratio of negative to positive in his speech.
And he ends with repetition.
‘Together we will make America wealthy again, we will make America strong again, we will make America proud again, we will make America safe again, and we will make America great again. Thank you.’
‘Together we will make America wealthy again, we will make America strong again, we will make America proud again, we will make America safe again, and we will make America great again. Thank you.’
I don’t support Trump in the slightest. I spent three years researching writing a book which analyses and calls out his hate rhetoric. But if you want to defeat him, you need to understand him and his incredible rhetorical power. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1785904078/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_AqX7Eb5PFVXM3
