From Words to Chaos: Analyzing Trump's Speech Acts That Fueled the January 6th Insurrection | ||||
| مجلة کلية الأداب - جامعة حلوان | ||||
| Article 7, Volume 60, Issue 2 - Serial Number 60, January 2025, Page 211-278 PDF (1.15 MB) | ||||
| Document Type: المقالة الأصلية | ||||
| DOI: 10.21608/kgef.2024.305802.1223 | ||||
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| Author | ||||
Ayatullah Salem 
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| 57 Abdel Rahman St. apartment no.57 | ||||
| Abstract | ||||
| The insurrection on January 6th, 2020, following President Trump's speech, was a critical attempt to overturn the certified election results and call for a revote, resulting in significant violence and disruption. This problem is essential to address in the Arab world due to the profound impact of political rhetoric on public actions and societal stability. The research question guiding this study is: "What speech acts did Trump employ to influence his audience on January 6?" Using a forensic qualitative descriptive approach, this study analyzes Trump's speech acts, given the speech's role in leading to a criminal act. Searle's five speech acts types are employed as the analytical tool due to its comprehensive framework in categorizing speech functions. The analysis reveals that 48.2% of Trump's speech consisted of assertive acts expressing lies, 23.2% were directives aimed at mobilizing his supporters, 16.1% were assertives expressing emotions, and 12.5% were commissives. The conclusion indicates that the most used speech act was asserting falsehoods, creating a distorted image to overturn the election results. Trump also employed a smaller percentage of directives to influence his supporters directly. The practical implications of this study are significant: it underscores the necessity for robust mechanisms to monitor and counteract harmful political rhetoric. By understanding how speech can incite violence, policymakers, leaders in the Arab world can develop strategies to foster responsible communication and maintain societal stability, preventing similar acts of insurrection and ensuring the integrity of elections processing. | ||||
| Keywords | ||||
| Keywords insurrection; political rhetoric; speech acts; assertive acts; Trump | ||||
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