Comments and discussion

Part of your analysis should also focus on statements made by the speaker that are worth discussing in more detail, because they are particularly controversial or interesting. Donald Trump’s inaugural address was received with mixed reviews, and many have criticized Trump’s lack of accuracy in his claims.

One of the fact-checked claims that proved inaccurate was: “…and the crime and the gangs and the drugs that have stolen too many lives and robbed our country of so much unrealized potential. This American carnage stops right here and stops right now.” (ll. 47-50). While it was true that at the time the crime rate in the US had risen a little, Trump paints a catastrophic image which was inaccurate, because, since 1991, crime in the US has generally been at an all-time low. The expression “American carnage” was so gloomy that it made many people claim that Trump created an unrealistic image of the US as a decaying society.

Another controversial statement is that regarding the US military: “…subsidized the armies of other countries while allowing for the very sad depletion of our military.” (ll. 55-56). While it is true that his predecessor, Barack Obama, had helped the army in Syria an...