AI Analyzes Trump’s Speech
I gave GPT4 a longer quote by Trump and asked to give me a detailed linguistic analysis.
Here’s the quote I took. It’s gotta be one of the most scattered piece of speech I have ever encountered in my life:
“Look, having nuclear — my uncle was a great professor and scientist and engineer, Dr. John Trump at MIT; good genes, very good genes, OK, very smart, the Wharton School of Finance, very good, very smart — you know, if you’re a conservative Republican, if I were a liberal, if, like, OK, if I ran as a liberal Democrat, they would say I’m one of the smartest people anywhere in the world — it’s true! — but when you’re a conservative Republican they try — oh, do they do a number — that’s why I always start off: Went to Wharton, was a good student, went there, went there, did this, built a fortune — you know I have to give my like credentials all the time, because we’re a little disadvantaged — but you look at the nuclear deal, the thing that really bothers me — it would have been so easy, and it’s not as important as these lives are — nuclear is so powerful; my uncle explained that to me many, many years ago, the power and that was 35 years ago; he would explain the power of what’s going to happen and he was right, who would have thought? — but when you look at what’s going on with the four prisoners — now it used to be three, now it’s four — but when it was three and even now, I would have said it’s all in the messenger, and it is fellas because, you know, they don’t, they haven’t figured that the women are smarter right now than the men, so, you know, it’s gonna take them about another 150 years — but the Persians are great negotiators, the Iranians are great negotiators, so, and they, they just killed, they just killed us, this is horrible.”
My Prompt
Analyze the complexity, intelligence, and authority of the following text enclosed by “”””, by examining features such as [here I’ve listed up some linguistic features].
What GPT4 Is Saying About Trump’s Style
Let’s look at different aspects of the above text.
Sentence Structure
Length: The sentences are extremely long and often disjointed, with multiple clauses connected by conjunctions like “but,” “and,” and “because.” Some sentences stretch for over 100 words without a clear stopping point.
Complexity: Though long, the sentences lack syntactical complexity and coherence. Instead of subordinate clauses or well-structured parallelism, there are frequent interruptions, parenthetical asides, and digressions.
Variety: The sentence structures are repetitive, relying heavily on informal, stream-of-consciousness phrasing rather than deliberate variation in sentence length or structure for rhetorical effect.
Vocabulary
Word Count: The passage uses a high word count, but many of the words are either simple or repeated.
Abstract/Technical Terms: There are few technical or specialized terms, despite the topic of nuclear power. “Nuclear” and “genes” are used, but in a vague or casual manner that doesn’t imply deep understanding.
Literary Devices: There is little use of literary devices like metaphors or similes, but there are informal phrases and colloquialisms (e.g., “did a number,” “very good genes”).
Rhetorical Techniques
Tone: The tone is conversational and informal, more like a spoken monologue than formal written text. It has a boastful, self-aggrandizing quality, relying on personal anecdotes and vague claims to establish authority.
Figurative Language: There is almost no figurative language. The speaker uses a lot of repetition for emphasis, but in a disorganized manner, without developing clear rhetorical strategies.
Point of View: First-person point of view dominates, centered on the speaker’s experiences, thoughts, and perceptions. The focus is on personal credibility (“very smart,” “Wharton School”) rather than logical argumentation.
Logical Flow: The text lacks logical coherence. It jumps between topics (genes, nuclear power, conservative Republicans) without clear transitions, making it difficult to follow the argument or identify a consistent thread.
Density of Information
Number of Clauses: The sentences are packed with independent clauses, often stitched together haphazardly. There is minimal use of subordination or careful clause coordination.
Adjectives/Adverbs: There is frequent use of vague adjectives (“good,” “smart,” “powerful”) and adverbs (“very”). These do little to add precision to the text but instead reinforce the speaker’s subjective opinion.
Formality and Register
Jargon: The passage is largely free of jargon. When specialized terms like “nuclear” or “engineer” are used, they are not explored in depth.
Colloquialisms: The text contains several colloquial expressions (“did a number,” “gonna take them about another 150 years”).
These casual terms lower the register, contributing to the informal, conversational tone.
Passive Voice: The text mostly avoids passive voice, focusing on active, personal statements (“I always start off,” “my uncle explained”).
Summary
The passage signals low complexity and low formality, with a stream-of-consciousness style that is conversational rather than structured.
Despite the speaker’s attempt to establish authority through personal anecdotes and credentials, the lack of coherence, repetitive sentence structure, and informal tone detract from any sense of intelligence or credibility.
While the speaker refers to specialized topics like nuclear power and genetics, these are handled superficially, further undermining the perceived authority.
The passage is marked by self-aggrandizement, logical inconsistency, and a reliance on personal experience over substantive, evidence-based argumentation.
