Political Argumentation Across Cultures: A Toulmin Framework Analysis of Populist, Collectivist, and Nationalist Leaders

This study examines how ideological traditions shape reasoning patterns in political discourse by applying Toulmin’s Argumentation Pattern (TAP) to thirty official speeches by Donald Trump, Xi Jinping, and Prabowo Subianto, representing populist, collectivist, and nationalist traditions respectively. The analysis demonstrates that argumentation in political contexts is an ideologically embedded practice rather than a neutral process of logical justification. Populist reasoning relies on emotional warrants, categorical claims, and confrontational rebuttals, framing politics as a moral dichotomy between “the people” and “the elite.” Collectivist reasoning employs normative warrants and ideological backing, legitimizing authority through references to collective achievements and historical narratives, while rebuttals are framed as defenses of sovereignty and harmony. Nationalist reasoning integrates pragmatic claims with moral and historical justification, using analogical backing and moralized rebuttals to portray technical objections as unpatriotic. Comparative findings show that warrants and backing act as ideological carriers, embedding cultural assumptions within argument structures. The study extends argumentation theory by demonstrating TAP’s adaptability to cross-cultural discourse and proposing a comparative framework that integrates formal models with culturally embedded rhetorical practices, offering insights for political literacy and cross-cultural dialogue.