Polarization in Trump's Tweets: A Critical Discourse Analysis Study

Abstract

The current study seeks to shed light on the strategy of polarization and investigate the macro-strategies and micro-strategies that former U.S. President Donald Trump employs in his tweets. This study develops an amalgam data analysis model that integrates two models, Van Dijk (2000:51-84) and Masroor et al (2019: 6-10). The study is limited to analyze the tweets directed against immigration policies adopted by Trump's opponents. Through the analysis, the study reveals that Trump employs four macro-strategies, two of them are in terms of positive self-representation: "the self is personification of Goodness" and "the self is the only nation’s hope". The other two are in terms of negative other-representation: "the other is disloyal to our country" and "the other lacks credibility". These four macro-strategies are realized by the employment of seven micro-strategies: lexicalization, hyperbole, modality, number game, consensus, metaphor, and irony.