THE INTERPLAY OF “I” AND “WE”: POWER OR SOLIDARITY?

Abstract

This study aims to examine the interplay between “I” and “we” in two inaugural speeches of the U.S. Presidents Joe Biden (2021) and Donald Trump (2025) to determine whether this combination conveys specific communicative intentions of speakers. While many previous studies have analyzed personal pronouns in isolation, the research gap remains concerning their interaction. Drawing on Fairclough’s Critical Discourse Analysis, the study adopted a qualitative approach supported by quantitative methods. The findings indicate that although both presidents presented similar sequences of these two pronouns, their intended meanings were distinct. Biden employed the interplay to construct an intimate presidential figure, whereas Trump used it to assert his authority. The findings also demonstrate that such linguistic elements, which seemed to be purely grammatical, performed subtle and powerful communicative functions.