LINGUISTIC AND STYLISTIC DEVICES OF IMPLEMENTING PERSUASIVE STRATEGIES AND TACTICS IN DONALD TRUMP’S SPEECH (IN THE DISCUSSION OF THE UKRAINIAN ISSUE)

Abstract

This article is devoted to the study of the linguistic and stylistic means used to realize communicative strategies and tactics of influence in contemporary English-language political discourse. Particular attention is paid to the analysis of the linguopragmatic potential of stylistic devices employed in the speech of the President of the United States, Donald Trump, during the public discussion with the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, held at the White House on February 28, 2025. The research material comprises selected fragments of political discourse containing various linguistic and stylistic devices that realize communicative strategies and tactics of influence. The study employs a linguopragmatic approach, critical discourse analysis, intent analysis, as well as the methods of continuous sampling, component analysis, descriptive and analytical analysis, systemic analysis, induction, and deduction. The analysis identifies the linguistic and stylistic means that facilitate manipulative influence in political communication. The findings indicate that euphemisms, dysphemisms, hyperbole, antithesis, allusion, conceptual metaphor, presupposition, and rhetorical questions are the most frequently used devices for implementing communicative strategies and tactics. Their role in realizing the strategies of self-presentation, opponent discreditation, appeal to fear, victimization, and other tactics of political influence is examined. The analysis confirms that linguistic and stylistic devices perform not only an expressive but also a pragmatic function, as they contribute to shaping the intended interpretation of political information, constructing a desired representation of political reality, and enhancing the communicative impact on both the immediate addressee and the broader audience.