The Contextual Presidency: The Negative Shift in Presidential Immigration Rhetoric

Party platforms from 1993 through 2008 show a positive approach to immigration policy. Presidential rhetoric, however, does not match the tone of the platforms. There are negative frames (illegality, criminality, terrorism, and economic threats) in nearly 50% of immigration speeches. We argue that social context motivates presidents to talk about immigration negatively. This analysis provides insight into rhetoric as responsive to context rather than a mechanism of power. We coded each speech on immigration from P residents B ill C linton, George W . B ush, and B arack O bama, and found statistically significant results that show that immigration rhetoric is more negative when certain social conditions are present.