Rebuilding Trust with the American People

A Critical Discourse Analysis of President Biden's Rhetoric on Twitter

Abstract

This essay deals with the communication strategies of Joseph R. Biden, taking the significance of presidential rhetoric into account and aiming to identify how the 46th President of the United States employs the social network Twitter to rebuild trust with the American public. Drawing on Norman Fairclough’s approach to Critical Discourse Analysis, the study concentrates on Biden’s use of language on Twitter, analyzing his tweets concerning their social contexts. Focusing on Biden’s presidential rhetoric on Twitter during his first 100 days in office, three recurring communicative patterns are identified: President Biden attempts to achieve visibility, adaption, and control by directly engaging with the public, relying on the power of persuasion, and self-identifying as the Great Conciliator.