The Biggest Waste of My Time

President Trump recently gave his 2020 State of the Union Address, in which he goes over what has been accomplished in his term, and what he plans to accomplish in the future. As with any passage of speaking, Trump speaks with a unique language and style.
To begin with, the most noticeable part of Trump's speech instantly is his tone. Trump speaks with a very confident, almost pompous at times, tone, which sends a message to his audience that the USA is a country to be proud of. Speaking of audience, the people who are listening here are mainly the American people, voters, and the electoral college, however, people all over the world have the chance to listen in because of the Address being broadcasted worldwide. Trump's self-assured tone also contributes to making his purpose clear, which is to state what has been achieved and what will be achieved in his term as president.
All of this could not be done without Trump's appeal to the literary devices logos, ethos, pathos, and kairos. Trump's appeal to logos can be seen in his countless bringing up of percentages and big numbers meant to inspire. An example of this usage of logos is when Trump mentions how before his administration, "300,000 working-age people dropped out of the work force," while in just three years of his administration, "3.5 million people — working-age people — have joined the work force." The audience hears these (hopefully) undisputed facts and, whether they like it or not, have to agree that Trump has clearly done some good for the country. This use of straight facts by Trump strengthens his underlying purpose which isn't said outright. Trump is using this speech to garner support for his re-election coming up in less than a year.
That point brings me right to Trump's appeal to Kairos. The timing of this State of the Union Address is definitely planned in advance, as it lines up perfectly with Trump's upcoming re-election, the Senate vote on his impeachment, and the recent Iowa caucuses which really mark a turning point in the progress of the 2020 elections.
Where this and many other speeches shine is in Trump's appeal to pathos, seen evidently in his choice to bring out several people that support his views and strengthen the American peoples' pride in their country.
Important to mention is that the audience Trump is sending his message to only can trust what he says because of his ethos. Trump's credibility (ethos) comes from both his title as President of the United States and his past accomplishments. Carrying such a heavy title as president is, Trump has to say the truth and nothing but the truth or he can put the reputation he's maintained on the line.
To conclude, President Trump's language and style in his State of the Union speech can be best described as confident and intended to gather support for his next election.

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