Searching for Meaning in Donald Trump’s Rhetoric
Document Type
Article
Publisher
Utica College Center of Public Affairs and Election Research
Rights Management
Author(s) retain copyright.
Abstract
Donald Trump’s second presidential term has been characterized by comments many find to be outrageous. While the consequences of Trump’s rhetoric are significant, what his statements and comments mean are equally important. Richard Holtzman writes that we can focus on this meaning by interpreting four characteristics of the presidency: as meaning-maker-in-chief, how it has been historically constructed, its symbolic significance, and as a way to reconsider the political order and civic health of America.
Since his return to the White House in January 2025, President Donald Trump has routinely made statements which many commentators, and many Americans more generally, have found outrageous. These include comments, among many others, about the United States turning Gaza into the “Riviera of the Middle East,” annexing Canada as the 51st American state, and sending “homegrown” criminals to an El Salvadorian terrorism prison center without constitutional due process. How should we make sense of this presidential rhetoric?
