Ethos, Pathos, and Logos in Trump's 2016 Campaign Ad
This paper analyzes Donald Trump's 2016 television campaign advertisement through the lens of classical rhetorical appeals — ethos, pathos, and logos — framed by George Lakoff's theory of narrative. The 30-second spot opens with diverse supporters expressing admiration for Trump and closes with Trump himself pledging to "make America great again," creating a dual frame of popular support and visionary leadership. Between these frames, the ad presents Trump's campaign as a sweeping, unstoppable national movement. The paper examines how each rhetorical appeal functions within the ad, considers its strategic timing after Trump's Iowa caucus loss to Ted Cruz, and argues that the ad effectively sustained campaign momentum by appealing to national pride, unity, and populist enthusiasm.
- Introduction: Framing the Trump Campaign Ad: Overview of ad structure and rhetorical thesis
- Ethos: Establishing Credibility Through Popular Support: How crowd testimonials build Trump's credibility
- Logos: The Populist Message of Unity and Forward Motion: Logical appeal through positive, forward-moving messaging
- Pathos: Appeals to National Pride and Collective Identity: Emotional appeal to unity, jobs, and national pride
- Strategic Context: The Ad After Iowa: Ad's purpose following Trump's Iowa caucus loss
- Conclusion: Narrative Control and the Trump Campaign: Synthesis of rhetoric and Lakoff's framing theory
✍️ How to write this paper — guide, tools & examples ▾
What makes this paper effective
- The paper applies a clear three-part analytical framework (ethos, pathos, logos) systematically to a single text, keeping each section focused and distinct.
- It connects classical rhetoric to Lakoff's contemporary narrative framing theory, giving the analysis both historical grounding and modern theoretical depth.
- The paper situates the ad within its real-world political context — the Iowa caucus loss — which strengthens the argument about the ad's strategic purpose.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates close textual analysis of a multimodal artifact, attending to both visual cues (confetti, crowds, placards) and aural cues (music, spoken testimonials) as evidence. This approach shows how rhetorical appeals operate across multiple channels simultaneously, not just through spoken or written language.
Structure breakdown
The essay opens with a framing paragraph that outlines the ad's structure and the paper's thesis. Three body sections then address each rhetorical appeal in sequence. A fifth section considers the ad's strategic political context. The conclusion synthesizes all elements through Lakoff's framing theory, returning to the opening thesis with added analytical weight. Total length is appropriate for a short rhetorical analysis assignment at the undergraduate level.
Introduction: Framing the Trump Campaign Ad
Donald Trump's television campaign advertisement employs the three rhetorical strategies of ethos, pathos, and logos in a way that is framed by George Lakoff's theory of narrative. The ad is framed by diverse supporters voicing their enthusiasm for Trump at the beginning of the 30-second spot, and by Trump himself announcing his vision — to "make America great again" — at the end. Thus, the ad is bounded by popular support on one side and benevolent vision on the other. Between these two frames is a kind of steamroller narrative that suggests the Trump campaign is an unstoppable force of nature: a nationalistic groundswell that has united people of all ages, races, ethnicities, and genders. This paper discusses Trump's ad from the perspective of ethos, pathos, and logos, and shows how its frames effectively move the viewer toward a singular conclusion — that Trump will win and America will be great again.
The tone of the ad is primarily positive. It does not mention any other candidate in the race; instead, it focuses solely on Trump and the breadth of support he commands among people young and old, Black, white, Asian, Middle Eastern, and Hispanic. The ad's main purpose is to demonstrate across-the-board appeal. This purpose is established by the frame that opens the ad — the confessions of admiration and hope so many people have placed in the Trump candidacy. There is an air of jubilation, triumph, expectation, progress, momentum, surging excitement, and even a kind of militant defiance in the face of establishment politics. All of this comes through via the music that plays over the ad and underscores its direction. That direction is completed by the other frame at the end: Trump himself.
The first half of the ad is thus dedicated to showing swelling crowds of fans and supporters who have flocked to Trump as though he were a deliverer. The ad then gives way to Trump, who announces that America will not be lost under his watch. In this manner, he is portrayed as the savior of the American Dream — the hope of tomorrow.
Ethos: Establishing Credibility Through Popular Support
The ad uses ethos to establish Trump's credibility by appealing to the voice of the voting public. The first speaker in the ad states that he came to hear about Trump's "business plan for America," which signals to the viewer that Trump is fundamentally about business — reinforcing the brand image Trump had long cultivated as a businessman. Others follow, stating that Trump "tells it like it is" and that he will "make America great again." Essentially, ethos is established through popular support: if so many people think so highly and so positively of Donald Trump, there must be a good reason. So many different people cannot all be wrong.
The visual cues alone suffice to answer that question: confetti, streamers, signs, placards, and throngs of crowds joining the Trump movement all serve as visual testimony to his perceived power. The aural cues reinforce ethos as well — they include the voices of everyday Americans alongside a surging, triumphant musical score that uplifts the spirits of the viewer and implicitly calls him or her to join the movement. The ad is paid for by Donald Trump, as stated in text at the bottom of the screen at the close, after Trump himself appears and declares that he approves the message.
Logos: The Populist Message of Unity and Forward Motion
The logos of the ad conveys an upbeat and populist message: Trump is the candidate who will unite the country and deliver positive results. There is no negative tone or connotation — the message is one of power, authority, and forward movement. There is no sense that opponents are even worth acknowledging; they cannot hold a candle to the Trump campaign, so why give them any attention? This is the essential logic of the ad. Language is used to convey admiration and jubilation — the sense that, finally, a candidate has emerged who understands what is wrong with the country, knows how to fix it, and is unafraid to speak plainly.
The message is direct and affirmative. No formal argument is presented; instead, the ad offers the voice of popular support before Trump appears on stage at the end to announce that he will not allow America to be lost. The message positions Trump at the forefront of an emerging army, leading the way in a battle to reclaim the country from those who have led it astray.
Conclusion: Narrative Control and the Trump Campaign
The ad uses ethos, pathos, and logos to convey feelings, thoughts, and messages about the people who support Trump, the movement that is the Trump campaign, and the man who leads it. The message and tone are upbeat and positive, communicating a jubilant and celebratory spirit that suggests the campaign is alive, meaningful, and unstoppable — despite the initial loss in Iowa. As Lakoff notes, narratives are framed by devices and strategies that aim to control the flow and direction of the story (Lakoff 2008). Here, Trump aims not only to control the narrative about his campaign but to shape its reality by encouraging voters to stay engaged, stay focused, and continue supporting a candidate who has already won over the hearts and minds of so many.
In this way, the ad expands on the concept offered by Lakoff's framing theory by incorporating real-world events into its narrative and using actual supporters as framing devices to guide other supporters — or potential supporters — who might be watching and wondering whether they, too, should get involved. The ad is ultimately less an argument than an invitation, and the rhetorical strategies of ethos, pathos, and logos work in concert to make that invitation as compelling and irresistible as possible.
Works Cited
"Donald Trump Ad Suggests He Has a Rainbow Coalition of Support." The New York Times, 2016. Web. 8 Mar. 2016.
Lakoff, George. The Political Mind. NY: Viking, 2008. Print.
Create your account
Always verify citation format against your institution’s current style guide requirements.