“We’re just all human, ya know?”: Comparing the Rhetoric of President Donald Trump With the Immigration Stories of Mexican Immigrants

Abstract

Immigration has been part of American society for as long as America has been established. Because of the differing opinions and attitudes of immigration, the question arises: how does the rhetoric used in the immigration stories of Mexican immigrants living in the central Indianapolis area reflect rhetoric used under the Trump administration regarding Mexican immigration and the characterization of Mexican immigrants? A mixed-method study consisting of qualitative interviews and content analysis was conducted in order to answer this question. Interviews from Mexican immigrants were analyzed, as well as four 2018 rally speeches by President Donald Trump. The analyses were compared, and it was found that the rhetoric used highly differed in the interviews and speeches, with President Trump’s rhetoric being more negative and the immigrants’ rhetoric being more positive.