A Corpus-Based Comparative Analysis of Hedges and Boosters in the Inaugural Speeches of President Trump and President Biden

This study investigates the use of Hedges and Boosters in the inaugural speeches of President Donald Trump (2017) and President Joe Biden (2021) using corpus analysis to quantify their occurrence and function within Hyland’s (2005) model of meta-discourse markers. In Trump’s speech, Hedges is virtually absent as the only instance is the word “about”. This is indicative of a self-assured and assertive rhetorical style. The absence of hedging aligns with populism, which tends to focus on confidence and authority. In contrast, Biden’s speech has a greater number and variety of Hedges including “could” (6), “may” (4), “might” (3), and “perhaps” (2), which soften his claims while enabling him to remain open to alternative interpretations, thus inviting inclusivity and diplomacy. Booster words in Trump’s speech such as “will” (15), “never” (3), “must” (2), “always” (2), and “totally” (1) are indicative of strong certainty and willingness to act. These Boosters lend the meaning of determination and urgency to the message. On the other hand, Biden’s use of Boosters, “will” (7), “must” (2), “always” (1) are less, which makes the tone more balanced, allowing for collective hope without excessive commitment to absolute certainty. This study established that Trump’s speech style is marked by minimal hedging, frequent use of Boosters, and an emphasis on assertive and nationalistic rhetoric, while Biden’s speech style is more cautious, unifying, and features heavy use of hedging with limited use of Boosters. The Trump vs. Biden discourse is an illustration of how differing ideologies and strategies shape language use, with Trump’s preference for straightforwardness and decisiveness and Biden’s focus on hope and inclusivity.