Discourse Features as a Means of Forming the Image of a Politician: The Case of the 2020 USA Presidential Elections

Throughout the history of politics, the formation of a politician’s image played one of the crucial roles in political campaigns. Nonetheless, there is a lack of specific recommendations for discourse features that may change the perception of politicians themself. This paper aims to analyze discourse features that influence the politician’s image on the example of the 2020 USA Presidential elections. The aim will be achieved through discourse analysis of the candidates’ speeches and the sample respondents’ attitudes towards speeches. The empirical base for the research consists of two individual speeches and two debates speeches compared with favorability rates. The expected findings include the elements of discourse that may have influenced the favorability rates, and the noted changes in perception of the sample group. These findings may appear to be an efficient tool in terms of political campaigns and the analysis of political discourse features.