The logical structure of Trump’s Inaugural address relies heavily on the use of enthymematic logic to assume certain premises or shared beliefs which are integral to his arguments.
In implementing such enthymematic devices, Trump circumvents the need to rationalize his depiction of a deteriorating government opting instead to imply such presuppositions as a given, oversimplifying genuine domestic and foreign issues as being attributed to a single antagonizing force that only Trump himself can stand up to.
By saying “From this day forward, our country will… be respected again all over the world”, he is implying it currently isn't respected. By asserting that “we will not allow ourselves to be taken advantage of any longer” Trump takes as a given that his audience is being taken advantage of. In cementing his stance as restoring the “integrity, competency, and loyalty of America’s government” he is forcing his listener to internalize the subtext that it currently lacks integrity, competency, and loyalty.
On Trump's use of enthymematic logic as a rhetorical device, Hayes remarks:
"In enthymemes, using Gerard Hauser’s (2002)
definition, the rhetor and audience share common beliefs and actively participate in building and creating the argument
together. Enthymemes give Trump the ability to deny alleged statements or argue he was misunderstood since enthymemes
are generally implicit and can be interpreted differently by diverse audiences. An analysis of Trump’s tweets exemplifies
how he builds and connects with those sharing and willing to contribute to the end result of creating a divide between
Americans by casting them against each other, establishing an Us versus Them philosophy."
Trump's social media phrasing and its associated use of this rhetorical strategy hints that ethymematic logic is a device that, extending across multiple platforms- is central to Trump's invention and the link it establishes with his audience.
https://repository.gonzaga.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1166&context=jhs