The most frequently used words in Donald Trump’s inauguration speech—and every previous one
After a bitter contest and controversial win, Donald J. Trump is now officially president of the United States. In his inaugural address, Trump continued the message of populism he maintained throughout his campaign. “We are transferring power from Washington, D.C.,” he said, “and giving it back to you, the people.” Trump also said he would invest in improving the country’s infrastructure, lamented the shuttering of factories, and referred to crime as “American carnage.”
But the word Trump used most in his speech wasn’t “people,” “power,” or even “great.” It was “dreams.” At one point, Trump said he would “bring back our dreams.” Later, when talking about the victims of the aforementioned carnage, he said “their dreams are our dreams.”
We counted the words used in Trump’s speech, as well as the words in every inaugural address ever delivered, to find which were used the most. (This list filters out common articles like “the,” “and,” and “or,” as well as some terms that are inherently ubiquitous in inaugural speeches, like “government” and “America.”) The result gives us a sense of what each president, going back to 1789, focused on at the start of his term.
Donald J. Trump
January 20, 2017 | 1459 words
dreams american obama jobs everyone
Barack Obama
January 21, 2013 | 2096 words
journey creed she complete requires
January 20, 2009 | 2395 words
nation new today generation jobs
George W. Bush
January 20, 2005 | 2071 words
freedom liberty tyranny fire history
January 20, 2001 | 1592 words
story civility affirm ideals promise
William J. Clinton
January 20, 1997 | 2155 words
century new promise land nation
January 20, 1993 | 1598 words
world today change idea season
George Bush
January 20, 1989 | 2320 words
breeze friends new door word
Ronald Reagan
January 21, 1985 | 2561 words
nuclear freedom weapons people world
January 20, 1981 | 2427 words
heroes believe dreams freedom weapon
Jimmy Carter
January 20, 1977 | 1229 words
dream together strength nation new
Richard Nixon
January 20, 1973 | 1803 words
peace role policies responsibility world
January 20, 1969 | 2128 words
voices earth peace together celebrate
Lyndon B. Johnson
January 20, 1965 | 1507 words
change covenant man union mastery
John F. Kennedy
January 20, 1961 | 1366 words
sides pledge begin ask help
Dwight D. Eisenhower
January 21, 1957 | 1658 words
freedom seek nations world help
January 20, 1953 | 2459 words
free faith strength peoples freedom
Harry S. Truman
January 20, 1949 | 2273 words
nations world communism peoples program
Franklin D. Roosevelt
January 20, 1945 | 559 words
learned today test trend peace
January 20, 1941 | 1359 words
democracy speaks nation spirit freedom
January 20, 1937 | 1808 words
democracy millions economic road people
March 4, 1933 | 1880 words
helped leadership values stricken neighbor
Herbert Hoover
March 4, 1929 | 3672 words
enforcement progress ideals 18th upon
Calvin Coolidge
March 4, 1925 | 4055 words
country stands old great tax
Warren G. Harding
March 4, 1921 | 3329 words
world civilization understanding today relationship
Woodrow Wilson
March 4, 1917 | 1526 words
own wished upon counsel purpose
March 4, 1913 | 1704 words
women great familiar studied stirred
William Howard Taft
March 4, 1909 | 5434 words
business interstate tariff negro race
Theodore Roosevelt
March 4, 1905 | 984 words
problems tasks regards ourselves life
William McKinley
March 4, 1901 | 2218 words
islands cuba upon congress inhabitants
March 4, 1897 | 3968 words
upon congress people revenue loans
Grover Cleveland – II
March 4, 1893 | 2015 words
people american frugality people_s governmental
Benjamin Harrison
March 4, 1889 | 4392 words
people upon methods states laws
Grover Cleveland – I
March 4, 1885 | 1686 words
people partisan yours public extravagance
James Garfield
March 4, 1881 | 2979 words
people constitution states upon law
Rutherford B. Hayes
March 5, 1877 | 2486 words
country upon reform behalf party
Ulysses S. Grant
March 4, 1873 | 1339 words
proposition santo transit domingo country
March 4, 1869 | 1127 words
dollar paying deal specie country
Abraham Lincoln
March 4, 1865 | 700 words
war god offenses woe offense
March 4, 1861 | 3637 words
constitution union law states people
James Buchanan
March 4, 1857 | 2831 words
states question shall constitution congress
Franklin Pierce
March 4, 1853 | 3336 words
upon hardly power fathers shall
Zachary Taylor
March 5, 1849 | 1090 words
shall congress country own duties
James K. Polk
March 4, 1845 | 4809 words
states union texas upon millions
William Henry Harrison
March 4, 1841 | 8460 words
power upon constitution people however
Martin van Buren
March 4, 1837 | 3843 words
institutions people upon yet supposed
Andrew Jackson
March 4, 1833 | 1176 words
union people states rest exercise
March 4, 1829 | 1128 words
public generally shall federal power
John Quincy Adams
March 4, 1825 | 2915 words
union upon peace great performance
James Monroe
March 4, 1821 | 4472 words
great states made war united
March 4, 1817 | 3375 words
great states put dangers people
James Madison
March 4, 1813 | 1211 words
war british part spirit united
March 4, 1809 | 1177 words
nations public improvements peace states
Thomas Jefferson
March 4, 1805 | 2166 words
public state false limits citizens
March 4, 1801 | 1730 words
man others safety principle freedom
John Adams
March 4, 1797 | 2321 words
people foreign nations nation states
George Washington
March 4, 1793 | 135 words
oath shall execution witnesses upon
April 30, 1789 | 1431 words
public citizens present country united
Notes on methodology: The words displayed are those with the most frequent occurrences; the leftmost word is the one used the most. In shorter speeches, the most-used words may have only been mentioned a handful of times. Only single words were counted, not phrases. Each of the following words was filtered out: I’ve, doesn’t, really, didn’t, not, will, going, know, its, so, don’t, I’m, that’s, when, just, no, say, back, right, go, you’re, why, let, tell, look, they’re, every, things, done, thing, he’s, can’t, down, again, not, think, so, know, going, when, will, it’s, thats, don’t, no, go, say, lot, look, back, let, every, time, yes, we’ve, government, America, Americans, us, until, cannot, may, America’s, seen, one, Mr, we’re.
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