The Role of Discourse in Self Constructing the Image of a Leader is Evident in Donald Trump's 2025 Inaugural Address

Abstract

Discourse is a way of expressing aspects of the world, its processes, relationships, and structures, including the physical world, the spiritual world of thoughts, emotions, and beliefs, and the social world. The immense power of discourse is very clearly demonstrated by authorities, leaders, and politicians in important political activities, such as inauguration ceremonies the President's. President Trump's inaugural address is a perfect example of using language to persuade, manipulate, or influence the audience. He employed various strategies in his speech with the aim of gaining support, challenging the established order, shaping public opinion toward achieving social change, and eliciting deep emotional responses. The results of the study revealed, inter alia, four prominent images of the president Donald Trumps as a savor of the nation, the God-sent president, a president of actions and a unifier. The study also unraveled a variety in the use of linguistic resources to help construct Donald Trump in the discourse. This study will be useful for an understanding of the relationship between language and society when it sheds light on the importance of discursive power and discursive ideology, the creative use of linguistic resources while raising critical language awareness.