Episode 33: President Joe Biden and the Rhetoric of Inaugural Speeches

I recorded this episode on Inauguration Day and took the opportunity to do a rhetorical analysis of President Biden's inaugural address. It was a solid speech that hit all the right notes of pathos in keeping with the best traditions of inaugural addresses, and it also made a couple of surprising innovations. That's the rhetorical analysis. From a political standpoint, though, it's a speech that will likely leave the half of America that did not vote for Biden uneasy with veiled references to a national campaign against "political extremism, white supremacy, and domestic terrorism," and no mention of the strategic challenges America faces from countries like China. Lots to dig into in this episode, I hope you enjoy it! Subscribe to the Weekly Brief on Substack (30% for podcast listeners)! Get the show notes at www.timtalkspolitics.com.