Clinical psychologist Dr Tracy King analysed Donald Trump’s State of the Union address and identified a psychological pattern in how he uses one simple word
Donald Trump’s State of the Union address, delivered last night in Washington DC’s House Chamber, is shaping up to be amongst the most discussed speeches of his second term in office.
Speaking to both Republicans and Democrats for nearly two hours, making it the longest State of the Union address in history, Trump covered tariffs, immigration, the economy and corruption whilst his party applauded and the opposition remained largely silent – bar a handful of moments.
However, substantial portions of the address followed a well-established political psychological framework, according to clinical psychologist Dr Tracy King.
She recognises the structure employed in the speech as the Victim-Persecutor-Rescuer pattern, developed by Karpman in 1968, and outlines how it was utilised.
Dr King said: “The Victim–Persecutor–Rescuer pattern shows up clearly in the speech. The “victim” moment is the wounded, obstructed framing: ‘an unfortunate ruling… very unfortunate ruling,’ and ‘Democrats in this Chamber have cut off all funding.’ That wording is not simply saying a problem exists, but that something has been taken away and blocked”, reports the Mirror US.
“It invites the viewer to feel that the country, or the speaker, is being treated unfairly.”
“The ‘persecutor’ then arrives fast. Sometimes it is a named opponent in the room. Sometimes it is an abstract enemy, like when he says ‘corruption is plundering America.'”
She highlights how he identifies an outside enemy to shoulder the blame for the nation’s troubles, stating: “Sometimes it is an external threat: Iran and missiles ‘that can threaten Europe and soon reach the United States.'”
“The emotional effect is to keep the audience in a sense of siege, with multiple targets available depending on what most worries them.”
Dr King then explains that he offers a solution designed to be straightforward and easy to digest.
She explains: “Then comes the ‘rescuer’ switch, and you can hear it in the verbs. ‘I am officially announcing the war on fraud,’ ‘Tonight I’m demanding the full and immediate restoration.’ ‘I used these tariffs, took in hundreds of billions.'”
Through these statements, she argues, he attempts to portray his actions as “decisive and immediate.”
“This is the crucial part of the pattern: once people have been emotionally guided into ‘we are being harmed’ and ‘here is who is harming us,’ the promise of rescue becomes more persuasive.”
Amongst all these techniques, however, Dr King identifies a hidden trick in the way roles are assigned, with Trump deploying a single word to maximum effect.
She notes that the threat is framed as affecting the entire nation, fostering a sense of collective identity. “But the ‘fixing’ is often voiced as ‘I’.
“‘I’m announcing,’ ‘I’m demanding,’ ‘I used.’ That creates bonding and ownership at the same time: ‘we’ for belonging, ‘I’ for agency. It is psychologically tidy. The audience gets to feel part of something bigger, while also being offered one clear person to trust as the solution.”