Trump - Clinton Presidential Campaign Debates: A Pragmatic Study

Abstract

Political discourse is an important tool for politicians because it helps them present ideas in a persuasive and effective way. Among the different forms of political discourse, debates are considered one of the most powerful strategies during election campaigns, as they can strongly influence public opinion and shape people’s beliefs. This study focused on a pragmatic analysis of the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign debate between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. The aim was to examine how language was used as a source of power in political life. To achieve this, the researcher used an eclectic model based on Grice’s conversational maxims and Yule’s types of presuppositions, applying them to ten selected excerpts from the first debate. The analysis sought to answer two main questions: (1) What role did Clinton’s and Trump’s use or violation of Grice’s maxims play in their debate? (2) How did both candidates use presuppositions to manipulate language and deliver their messages effectively?