Trump’s speech: Less analytical, more sure than predecessors

WASHINGTON (AP) — Leaders are speaking far more simply and with more confidence than they did four score and seven years ago. Donald Trump’s speech has accelerated that trend.

A new study says Trump talks less analytically, and more confidently, than all past U.S. presidents.

Psychologists at the University of Texas and Princeton University used a computer language program to study nearly 3 million texts going back to 1789. They examined speeches by leaders in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom and Australia, along with general stories in books and newspapers, movie subtitles and cable news transcripts.

Study lead author Kayla Jordan says the nature of leaders’ communication began to change around the time of Woodrow Wilson.

The study is in Monday’s journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.