Essay Writing Service

1. Skinner, 1
A Rhetorical Analysis of “Make America Great Again”
Rhetoric is an ancient art that has been utilized in many times and in many ways.
Whether it is a speech in the public places of Athens or a tract run off of the Gutenberg press, the
desire to convince and convert an audience has proven to be virtually ubiquitous. In chapter four
of his book, Richard Toye explores the impact of rhetoric on a technologically advanced and
globalized society and the impact of this sort of society on rhetoric itself. In commenting on the
role of rhetoric in 20th
century politics and the “rhetorical presidency” (“The ‘rhetorical
presidency’ and the ‘anti-intellectual presidency’”), Toye’s work proves helpful in illuminating
the slogans of the 2016 election cycle, specifically Donald Trump’s “Make America Great
Again” (Trump) and its pathetic appeal to people lamenting the loss of cultural dominance.
In chapter four, Toye addresses the complex issue of multiple audiences and the role that
both electronic media and globalization have played in exasperating this problem. Although this
issue has existed since words have been put to paper, Toye notes how the culture and events of
the 20th
century put this rhetorical nuance into the spotlight. He points out that the role of
rhetoric is often underestimated in the history of war, and that World War II, whether in
reference to Churchill, Stalin, or Hitler, was a “global media war … fought alongside the military
campaigns” (“Case study: the rhetorical history of World War II”). The 20th
century also saw a
shift to “the rhetorical presidency” (“The ‘rhetorical presidency’ and the ‘anti-intellectual
presidency’”) and changes in American politics and political institutions.
Donald Trump’s rise to prominence in this year’s presidential campaign struck many
people as odd and outlandish. However, some actually viewed this sort of political upheaval as
inevitable. Whether you place the responsibility at the feet of the Republican Party (Pierce) or
the American political process as a whole (Ignatius), the ascension of a character like Trump

2. Skinner, 2
seemed destined. 21st
century America is not 20th
century America; it is not 19th
century America
either. To those supporting a Donald Trump bid for the Oval Office, the shift in American
culture is reason to be alarmed. The difference between progress and regress is often in the eye
of the beholder, and Donald Trump’s rise to political prominence makes explicit how many feel
in regards to the trajectory of this “once great” nation. More telling than Trump’s popularity is
the means by which he achieved the premier position in the Republican Party. Trump’s
popularity is due to his use of rhetoric, and his use of rhetoric says as much about his audience as
it does about him.
“Make America Great Again” serves as a perfect microcosm of Trump’s rhetoric and
reveals much about the assumptions inherent in many who have been wooed by the Republican
nominee for president. In order to make something great again, there has to have been a time
when it was great, a time that it became not great, and a way to restore this item to its previous
state of greatness. So, to “Make America Great Again” assumes that, at some point, America has
moved from a state of greatness to a state of non-greatness—that America has endured a
significant regress.
Not only does the slogan assume a national regress, it assumes that there is someone or
something that can reverse the denigration and restore America to its condition of excellence.
Grammatically, as an imperative with an understood you, the slogan implies that the hearer, the
American, should be and will be the one making America a great nation once again. While this is
grammatically the case, what is assumed by many and made explicit in longer pieces of
Trumpian rhetoric is that Trump himself will be the one making America great again: “I’m going
to make our country rich again. I am going to turn our bad trade agreements into great ones…I
am going to bring our jobs back to Ohio and to America…I am your voice” (Trump).

3. Skinner, 3
These assumptions reveal much about Trump’s audience. “Make America Great Again”
assumes national regress, a country where the majority of people’s day-to-day lives are
significantly less “great” than they once were. This is not the experience of many. In fact, the
experience of those not in power on a national level is significantly better than it has been
previously with the abolition of slaves, the right of women to vote, and the federal protection of
the LBGT community serving as a few, significant examples. Great hardships still exist for
minorities of all sorts, but most will agree that their voices are more respected and responded to
than in generations past, and this is a sign of progress. However, when more people are allowed
on the stage, there are inevitably less microphones to go around. Minorities are altering policies.
Minorities are influencing elections. Minorities are affecting change and wrenching control of a
nation out of the hands of the majority. For the minority, this is progress. For the majority, this is
regress of the greatest sort. “Make America Great Again” is not far away from “Give me back
my country” in what it is trying to convey.
For these reasons, it is perfectly appropriate that in his rhetoric Trump appeals primarily,
if not exclusively, to pathos. In relation to his fitness to serve as the chief executive of a nation,
Trump has no ethos upon which to stand. Trump’s experience has been limited to running
corporations not nations, and the two are undeniably different. The ethical basis of why Donald
Trump is the man to “Make America Great Again” is because he is not “them,” and that “they”
are the ones who have made America not-great. Beyond that, his credibility is weak, and he is
left to rely on the credulity of a large portion of his audience.
Trump also rarely, if ever, appeals to logos. When questioned about the viability of his
grandiose plans or the manner in which he will accomplish them, his universal response is some
variation of “Believe me…” (Viser). The “Make America Great Again” slogan itself is devoid of

4. Skinner, 4
logos. It is a purely pathetic appeal. “Make America Great Again” plays on fear, pride, and
prejudice. It is an appeal to the primitive, an appeal to the gut. This sort of rhetoric is as effective
as it is disconcerting. While not the exclusive property of tyrants and despots, this sort of pathos-
exclusive rhetoric is prime for abuse and leaves little room the discerning engagement of the
mind.
The 2016 election cycle is as good an example as any of the role of rhetoric in U.S.
presidential politics. “Make America Great Again” is a perfect campaign slogan. It is catchy. It is
clear. It is concise. Distilled to its essence, it says this: America was pristine; some people broke
it; and now it is time to fix it. Trump’s rhetorical effectiveness is a result of a series of
assumptions in the minds of his audience. The rhetorical power of “Make America Great Again”
is contained in its simultaneous appeal to pathos and disregard of ethos and logos. This rhetoric
engages the audience from the neck down, and it is quite effective in doing so. It does not allow
room for examination and contemplation, and instead it demands that the hearer simply react—
react out of fear, prejudice, and pride. This sort of rhetoric is effective in winning support but
powerless to make anything “great.”

5. Skinner, 5
Works Cited
Ignatius, David. “How America’s political decay has fueled Trump’s rise.” Washington
Post.com.10 March 2016, www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-rise-of-trump-brought-
to-you-by-the-decay-of-americas-institutions/2016/03/10/ca6438b4-e6f2-11e5-b0fd-
073d5930a7b7_story.html. Accessed 10 Sept. 2016.
Pierce, Charles P. “Trump's Campaign-and His Victory-Were Inevitable.” Esquire, 11 Aug.
2016, http://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/news/a46833/trump-nomination-
convention-inevitable. Accessed 9 Sept. 2016.
Toye, Richard. Rhetoric: a Very Short Introduction. Epub Ed., Oxford University Press, 2013.
Trump, Donald. “2016 RNC Acceptance Speech.” 2016 Republican National Convention,
Republican Party, 21 June 2016, Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio. Keynote
Address.
Viser, Matt. “Donald Trump relies on a simple phrase: ‘Believe me.’” Boston Globe.com. 24
May 2016, www.bostonglobe.com/news/politics/2016/05/24/donald-trump-relies-
heavily-simple-phrase-believe/0pyVI36H70AOHgXzuP1P5H/story.html. Accessed 9
Sept. 2016.