A Discourse-Historical Analysis of the Immigration Topic in Trump's Campaign Rally Speeches

Abstract

This paper employs a discourse-historical analysis method to examine Trump's speech discourse during his campaign rallies, with a focus on exploring his discourse strategies on the topic of immigration and their socio-cultural origins. The study reveals that Trump constructs an immigration discourse framework centered around law, national security, and economic interests through naming strategies, predicative strategies, and perspectivization strategies in his speeches. He emphasizes the threat posed by illegal immigrants to employment and security, utilizing direct and indirect quotations to enhance the authority and emotional impact of his discourse. The research presented in this paper not only uncovers the ideological foundation of Trump's immigration policies but also provides a new perspective for understanding the interactive relationship between political discourse and socio-historical context.