Positives and Negatives of Inaugural Addresses

On January 20, Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th President of the United States, kicking off his second term with an inaugural address that left no room for subtlety. He declared the dawn of a "golden age" for America, pledging to revive national pride and sovereignty while laying out big, bold goals: revitalizing manufacturing, combating inflation, and securing the southern border, to name a few.

Inaugural speeches are often remembered as defining moments for presidents – an opportunity to set the tone for their administration and speak directly to the challenges of the moment. But how did the tone of Trump’s speech compare to his predecessors’?

Just like last week, we turned to AI-powered natural language processing (NLP), breaking down notable inaugural speeches by their tone. Using sentiment analysis, we categorized sentences from each speech as positive, neutral, or negative.

Here’s what we found:

George Washington’s 1789 address was a relatively procedural affair, with 55 percent of sentences classified as neutral. Not surprising for the first-ever inaugural – Washington was setting precedents while acknowledging the immense weight of his new role.

Abraham Lincoln’s 1865 address, delivered during the twilight of the Civil War, leaned heavily on solemnity, with 10 percent of sentences classified as negative. His words reflected the anguish of a nation at war and the hope for healing, captured poignantly in his call for a "just and lasting peace."

Fast forward to Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1933, and the tone shifts again. Roosevelt balanced realism and optimism as he tackled the Great Depression head-on, with 50 percent positive sentences juxtaposed with 15 percent negative ones, acknowledging the "dark realities of the moment" while rallying Americans to action.

Then there’s Ronald Reagan in 1981, whose inaugural address was the most optimistic of the bunch, with 65 percent of sentences classified as positive. Reagan’s speech brimmed with confidence in American resilience and heroism, painting a picture of a “shining city on a hill” poised for greatness.

Barack Obama’s 2009 address followed a similar script, with half of his sentences conveying hope and a call to unity, though tempered by 10 percent of sentences that acknowledged the challenges of the Great Recession.

And then we get to Donald Trump. His 2017 address famously painted a grim picture of “American carnage,” with 30 percent of sentences categorized as negative – the highest of any speech we analyzed until now. Trump’s 2025 address edged out his earlier one in negativity, with 35 percent of sentences focusing on critique and confrontation. It wasn’t all doom and gloom, though. His latest speech also saw a slight increase in positivity, reaching 55 percent.

It’s worth noting that inaugural addresses often reflect the crises of their times. Lincoln and Roosevelt both leaned into negative sentiments when addressing a nation in turmoil, and Trump’s speeches do the same, albeit with a much sharper edge. By contrast, Reagan’s optimism in 1981 and Biden’s hopeful tone in 2021 – with 60 percent positive sentences – highlight how presidents can use their inaugural platform to inspire and unify, even when the nation faces deep challenges.

So, what does all this data tell us? For one, it confirms that inaugural addresses are as much about setting a mood as they are about outlining policy. Positive sentiments tend to dominate, underscoring the aspirational nature of these speeches. But the presence of negative sentiment, when used thoughtfully, can ground a speech in the realities of the moment – as seen with Roosevelt and Lincoln. Trump’s approach, however, stands out for its confrontational framing, with critique often overshadowing optimism.

Ultimately, inaugural addresses offer a window into the nation’s soul at a given moment in history. Trump’s 2025 speech, with its mix of ambition and critique, underscores the polarization of contemporary American politics and the heightened stakes of his return to power. Whether it will be remembered alongside the most notable inaugural addresses remains to be seen, but it’s certainly added another layer to the evolving story of how presidents communicate with the people they serve.