From fear to hope: Trump’s electoral narrative on X during the 2024 campaign

Abstract

This study analyzes how Donald Trump’s electoral narrative on the social network X, during the 2024 presidential campaign, was strategically constructed through the combined use of emotions such as fear and hope. Using a mixed methodology, a qualitative analysis of discursive strategies was conducted alongside a quantitative content analysis of 136 posts made between October 21 and November 5, 2024. The results show that, although the level of misinformation was moderate, the use of polarizing narratives with a positive emotional base predominated—especially those centered on hope—which helped reinforce Trump’s discursive legitimacy. It is concluded that the balanced combination of negative and positive emotions shaped a discursive pattern with persuasive potential, aimed at reinforcing preexisting ideological positions.