FROM AUTHORITY TO PROXIMITY: THE DISCURSIVE CONSTRUCTION OF PRESIDENTIAL ETHOS IN EMMANUEL MACRON’S CRISIS COMMUNICATION

Abstract

This study examines the discursive construction of presidential ethos in Emmanuel Macron’s crisis communication, focusing on the linguistic and rhetorical strategies through which political authority, responsibility, and solidarity are articulated. Drawing on theories of discursive ethos, political argumentation, and enunciative subjectivity, the study investigates how first-person pronouns, collective references, modal expressions, evaluative language, and the attribution of responsibility contribute to the construction of presidential identity. The research adopts a qualitative comparative discourse-analytical approach to selected presidential addresses delivered in distinct political and international crisis contexts. Particular attention is paid to the relationship between the representation of the president as a decisive institutional leader and his positioning as a representative of the national community. Rather than treating ethos as a fixed personal characteristic, the study conceptualizes it as a context-dependent discursive construction negotiated through linguistic choices and representations of political actors. By examining the interaction between authority and proximity, the research aims to contribute to a more nuanced understanding of presidential ethos in contemporary French political discourse.