NARRATIVE RECONSTRUCTION: A CRITICAL DISCOURSE ANALYSIS OF DONALD TRUMP’S 2024 SUPER TUESDAY CAMPAIGN SPEECH

Abstract

Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) has been instrumental in examining the relationship between language use and the exercise of political power (Fairclough, 1995; van Dijk, 1993). It illuminates the ways in which political actors employ linguistic strategies to construct public narratives, legitimize ideologies, and shape collective perceptions(Ali et al., 2020). Fairclough’s three-dimensional model, in particular, has been widely utilized to scrutinize political speeches, including analyses of Donald Trump’s discourse. For instance, Handayani et al. (2018) applied this model to explore Trump’s statements on recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. Building on such scholarship, the present study employs Fairclough’s updated framework (Fairclough, 2010) to critically interpret Trump’s rhetoric in light of contemporary political, social, and economic developments.