| Keywords [eng] |
figurative framing, metaphors, source domains, Donald Trump, Democratic- and Republican-aligned media, figūratyvusis freimingas, metafora, šaltinio sritys, Donaldas Trumpas, respublikonams ir demokratams palanki žiniasklaida |
| Abstract [eng] |
Metaphors are an integral part of our conceptual system, shaping our perception of reality. In a political context, metaphors are used to persuade, attract attention, shape political views, reinforce ideologies and facilitate the understanding of complex ideas. The media coverage of political events is particularly important for shaping images of political figures, as the choice of metaphors determines how they are perceived by different audiences. The aim of this study is to analyze how Donald Trump is metaphorically represented in Republican- and Democratic-aligned media. This study also aims to identify and compare the most prominent source domains that reflect how Donald Trump’s second-term presidency is narrated by representatives of opposing views in the left-leaning and right-leaning media. The study examines what metaphors contribute to his favorable and unfavorable media representation. To conduct this study, two sub-corpora (approx. 50,000 words each) were compiled from texts published in four widely-known U.S. news outlets (The Atlantic, The New York Magazine, The American Conservative, The American Spectator) between 2024 and 2025. The theoretical framework of this study is based on Critical Metaphor Analysis (Charteris-Black 2004), which reveals how metaphors shape representations and reinforce ideological beliefs in political discourse. Additionally, a Metaphor Identification Procedure (MIP) (Pragglejaz Group 2007) was adapted. Criteria for identifying evaluative characteristics (Hidalgo-Downing & Perez-Sobrino 2022) were also used to determine evaluations of metaphors. The results of the quantitative analysis revealed that 21 source domains were identified across both sub-corpora, accounting for a total of 980 metaphorical expressions, in the left-leaning media sub-corpus (459) and in the right-leaning media sub-corpus (521). A more detailed analysis showed that the most prominent source domains in both sub-corpora were CONFLICT, JOURNEY and ENTERTAINMENT, constituting the largest share of the corpus. The relative evaluative distribution of both sub-corpora showed the prevalence of the negative characteristics, in the left-leaning media (66%) and in the right-leaning media (39%), indicating a rather negative inclination in framing. |
