¶ … Aboard the Trump Train: Latest Ad Shows Trump Supporters Out in Force Donald Trump's television ad spot employs the three rhetorical strategies of ethos, pathos and logos in a way that is framed by Lakoff's theory of narrative: the ad is framed by diverse supporters voicing their support for Trump as POTUS at the beginning of the 30-second spot and by Trump himself announcing his own vision, which is to "make America great again." Thus, the ad is framed by popular support on one hand and benevolent vision on the other. In between these two frames is a kind of steamroller narrative that suggests that 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 will discuss Trump's from the perspective ethos, pathos and logos and show how its frames effectively move it in a singular direction that leads to viewer to the inevitable conclusion: Trump will win and America will be great again.

The tone of Trump's ad is primarily positive: it doesn't even mention any other candidate running in the race; instead it focuses solely on Trump and how much support he has among so many different people, young and old, black, white, Asian, Middle Eastern and Hispanic. The ad's main purpose is to show that Trump has across-the-board appeal, and this purpose is set up by the frame that opens the one side of the end -- the confessions of admiration and hope that 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 which comes through via the music that plays overtop the ad and that underscores the direction of the spot. That direction makes up the other frame that comes along at the end of the ad: that frame is Trump himself.

Thus, the first half of the ad is dedicated to showing the swelling...

Then the ad is given over 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.
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 lets the viewer know that Trump is all about business (which builds on the brand image that Trump has cultivated for himself as a business man); others follow stating that Trump "tells it like it is," and that he will "make America great again." Essentially, ethos is established by way of popular support: if so many people think so highly and so positively of Donald Trump then there must be a very good reason for this. So many different people cannot all be wrong, can they? The visual cues alone suffice to answer that question: showing confetti, streamers, signs, people holding placards, throngs of crowds come to join in the Trump movement -- all of it a visual testimony to the power that is Donald Trump. The aural cues, however, also work to establish ethos: they include the voices of everyday Americans as well as a surging, triumphant tune that uplifts the spirits of the viewer and calls him or her to join in the movement. The ad is paid for by Donald Trump, which is stated in text at the bottom of the screen at the end of the ad, after Donald has come on and spoken that he approves of this message.

The logos of the ad conveys an upbeat and populist message: Trump is the candidate that will unite the land and deliver positive results. There is no negative tone or connotation in the message: it is one of power, authority, and movement forward. There is no sense that the opponents are even worth mentioning: they cannot hold a candle to the…