“We Will Build a Great Wall”: Domination, Criminalization, and Expatriation in Trump Campaign and Rally Speeches

Abstract

Given the import and impact of political campaign promises, this study systematically analyzed Donald Trump’s campaign and rally speeches using a typology of verbal-textual hostility (V.T.H.) developed by Asquith (2013) from criminal hate incidents in the United Kingdom. Trump used all forms of V.T.H. previously identified by Asquith, except for sexualization, and new forms that may be specific to the political context. Analysis of speeches from 2015–2018 revealed that expatriation, criminalization, and domination were the most frequently used forms of V.T.H. deployed by Trump, which we consider in relation to the historical, social, and political context and consequences.