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Article published In:
Language and Dialogue
Vol. 14:1 (2024) ► pp.60–94

Self-presentation of the US presidential candidates in 2016 and 2020

| University of Antwerp

Politicians often mention their personality traits when communicating with the public that aligns with the concept of impression management (Benoit and McHale 2003). This suggests that politicians can use their personalities to create a favorable image during election campaigns (Van Santen and Van Zoonen 2010). However, previous research has not adequately incorporated personality theories into the study of impression management (Clifford 2018). Addressing this gap, our study examines how presidential candidates presented themselves during the 2016 and 2020 US elections, and explores the personality traits emphasized in campaign communication. Our research combines qualitative and quantitative methods and diverse data sources, including political commercials and speeches. This study contributes to the field by incorporating personality theories into the study of political impression management.

Keywords: self-presentation, US elections, impression management, personality, mixed methods, political communication
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Literature review
    • 2.1Personalization in American politics
    • 2.2Impression management
      • 2.2.1Impression management and self-presentation
      • 2.2.2Impression management and different types of media outlets
    • 2.3Personality of the political leader
      • 2.3.1Personality frameworks
      • 2.3.2Personality and political success
      • 2.3.3Personality and ideology
      • 2.3.4Personality and gender differences
  • 3.Problem definition
    • RQ1.What personality attributes do presidential candidates discuss in their election campaign (2016 and 2020) communication?
    • RQ2.What differences are there in the personality attributes presidential candidates use to describe themselves in commercials and speeches?
    • RQ3.What differences are there in the personality attributes that Democratic and Republican presidential candidates use to describe themselves in campaign communication?
    • RQ4.What different personality traits do female and male presidential candidates use to describe themselves in campaign communication?
  • 4.Method and data
    • 4.1Qualitative thematic analysis
    • 4.2Quantitative analysis
    • 4.3Validity and reliability
  • 5.Results
    • 5.1Personality attributes in self-presentation (mixed methods)
      • Competent/confident
      • Enterprising
      • Relatable
      • Uniting
      • Reliable
      • Empathetic
      • Humble
      • Egalitarian
      • Patriotic
      • Anti-establishment
      • Honest
    • 5.2Differences in self-presentation in commercials and speeches
    • 5.3Differences between Democrats and Republicans
    • 5.4Differences between male and female presidential candidates
  • 6.Discussion
    • 6.1Personality attributes and self-presentation (RQ1)
    • 6.2Self-presentation in commercials and speeches
    • 6.3Self-presentation of Democratic and Republican candidates
    • 6.4Self-presentation of male and female candidates
    • 6.5Contribution and limitations
  • 7.Conclusions
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • References
Available under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) 4.0 license.

For any use beyond this license, please contact the publisher at [email protected].

Published online: 19 January 2024
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/ld.00163.die
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