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Within 48 hours, President Donald Trump has given three different speeches for three
different topics and crowds. The first speech was on 21 August 2017 at the Fort Myers
addressing military troops about the Strategy in Afghanistan and South Asia. The second speech
was on 22 August 2017 at the “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) rally in Phoenix, Arizona.
The third and final was on 23 August 2017 at the 99th Anniversary of American Legion. The
President showed various communication styles based on the audiences and occasions.
On 21 August 2017, the President addressed the military about the new strategy for the war
in the Middle East and conflicts in South Asia at Fort Myers. As the President entered, the “Hail
to the Chief” played, and all military personnel stood up in attention. The whole atmosphere of
this event was formal. From the beginning of the speech, President recognized all the
distinguished guests, including Vice President Pence, Secretary of State Tillerson, members of
the Cabinet, General Dunford, Deputy Secretary Shanahan, and Colonel Duggan and all the
members of the United States military. (White house, 2017) The entire tone of the speech was a
professional and formal one. Throughout the address, President Trump spoke in a clear, calm,
and serious manner. His gestures were also well controlled. He used his hands to pace himself
and to emphasize his points. Also, when the President was saying key words or making points,
he increased his volume and spoke with a strong emphasis, so it would grab the audiences’
attention and deliver his message. For this speech, I would categorize him as an assertive
communicator. The President delivered his speech effectively and respectfully. Overall, this
speech’s tone was very formal and serious. It was fitting for the Commander in Chief addressing
his troops and distinguished guests.
The second speech the President made was at the “Make America Great Again” rally in
Phoenix, Arizona. In this event, the atmosphere of the crowd was completely different. The
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groups in Fort Myers did not make any noise except clapping at the end of the speech. However,
these crowds from the MAGA rally were very excited and made a lot of noise. The crowd
showed various reactions, including cheers, boos, and multiple chants. The President’s speech
was completely different from the one in Fort Myers, and his behavior was completely different
as well. His address was definitely louder, faster, and full of emotions. His voice and gesture
were bigger and more animated. His communication style was leaning more toward the
aggressive style than the Fort Myer speech. The President’ used aggressive vocabularies while he
expressed his disdain toward the media and Democratic Party. He described news media as
“damned dishonest” and Democrats as “obstructionists.” The speech did not seem formal
because the President used multiple filler words such as “look,” “I mean,” “OK,” and “you
know.” With these indicators, this is likely the President’s natural communication style. He
probably had a set of topics and general ideas but did not write out the speech word for word or
just a shoot-from-the-hip type as well.
The third speech was at the National Convention of the American Legion in Reno, Nevada.
It was the 99th anniversary of American Legion that supports veterans and patriots. (Facebase)
For this speech, he returned to being a presidential rather than the excited and aggressive
promoter he was in Phoenix. His voice and tone were calm and formal but not as serious as his
speech in Fort Myers. He addressed multiple distinguished guests at the beginning with a light
joke about former Secretary of Defense, Bob Gates. This speech was somewhat conversational,
as well. The crowd reacted to his speech by cheering, and President even brought up Medal of
Honor recipient Donald E. Ballard to the podium have him say a statement. The address overall
was very formal and professional. He went back to the assertive communication style, where he
delivered his message and planned effectively and respectfully, and there was not any
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aggressiveness in his speech. The President also went back to using controlled gestures and soft
voice.
Based on the three different speeches, I would say President Trump has various
communication styles. His communication style resembles the assertive communication style
that a person can clearly state their opinions and feelings while conveying his messages to the
audiences. In all three speeches, he was able to deliver his messages clearly and communicated
well with his crowds. However, the President’s second speech resembles an aggressive
communication style. During the MAGA rally, he spoke in an aggressive manner describing
news media as “damned dishonest” and Democrats as “obstructionists.” (Time, 2017) He also
condemned CNN as fake news and promoted “us versus them” mentality and divisions. These
word choices and messages are considered offensive or intimidating. Even though the second
speech seems aggressive, he had a great reaction and from his audiences. The audiences were
excited and very enthusiastic about his speech. This reaction showed that he understands his
target audiences. Each of the addresses had different audiences and different topics. The first one
was the military troops, the second was his supporters, and the last one was a veteran
organization. For each audience, he conveyed different tones and different topics. The speech in
Fort Myer he was the Commander in Chief addressing future military-strategic plans to his
troops, so he spoke of the situation in the Middle East and South Asia
In my opinion, the speech from the MAGA rally would be his natural communication style.
Compared to other speeches, the President used more filler words, and his excitement was
present. In addition, the address itself was conversational and informal speech without a
particular structure. I think the President felt like he was having a conversation with his
supporters and presented himself with his natural communication style rather than using a
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presidential one he used for other speeches. His natural communication is a great way to
motivate and excite his supporters to vote for him next election. However, it would not be a great
way to close a deal with foreign countries as a president. President Trump is currently working
on revising many international deals such as the North American Free Trade Agreement, EU
trade deal, and China trade deal. If he used an aggressive communication style he used at the
MAGA rally, the other countries would pull out of the agreement, and the United States would be
in serious trouble. To meet his agenda, he should use the communication style he used in the
third speech. It was an assertive communication style, and it was quite engaging and respectful
as well. It would be an appropriate communication style to engage with foreign diplomats and
possibly close the deal in a good term.
If I were the communication adviser of the President, I would suggest similar messages but
modify a couple some points. In the first speech, I would have advised focusing on the new
military strategies and the changes within the military while thanking the troops for their hard
work and sacrifices. I believe the assertive style he used would be a great way to deliver this
speech. For the second speech, my recommendation would have been to focus the speech on
economic growth since his inauguration rather than smearing the media and opposite party. The
statistics of 6 million added jobs, the unemployment rate dropped to the lowest level in nearly 50
years, rise in stock price, and decrease in poverty rate (Jackson, 2019) would have been great to
show his achievement as the President. Also, I would have recommended the assertive style
rather than the aggressive style he used. Attacking media and the opposing party might be turn
off for some audiences and possibly lose possible voters, and it would have been more of a
presidential route. For the American Legion speech, my main point would have been about
thanking the Veterans for their services and recent changes in VA medical and educational
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benefits. Those two points are the main concerns for the Veterans, and it would be a great way to
show that the President was fixing the issue and supports the veterans.
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References
White House. (2017, August 21). Remarks by President Trump on the Strategy in Afghanistan and South
Asia. Retrieved from https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/remarks-president-trump-
strategy-afghanistan-south-asia/
Factbase. (n.d.). Transcript Quote - President Trump Gives Remarks to the National Convention of the
American Legion. Retrieved from https://factba.se/transcript/donald-trump-speech-american-legion-
reno-nevada-august-23-2017
Time. (2017, August 23). Trump's 2017 Phoenix, Arizona Rally Full Speech Transcript.
Retrieved from https://time.com/4912055/donald-trump-phoenix-arizona-transcript/
Jackson, B. (2020, January 16). Trump's Numbers October 2019 Update. Retrieved from
https://www.factcheck.org/2019/10/trumps-numbers-october-2019-update/
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