Donald Trump's Truth Social Posts during the 2026 US–Israel War on Iran -A Critical Discourse Analysis through Fairclough's Three-Dimensional Model

Abstract

This study conducts a Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) of Donald Trump's Truth Social posts published between February 28 and June 17, 2026, during the US–Israel joint military campaign against Iran, designated Operation Epic Fury. Drawing on Fairclough's (1992, 1995, 2003) Three-Dimensional Model, encompassing textual, discursive, and sociocultural dimensions. This mixed-methods study examines how Trump's social media discourse constructed ideological frames of American militarism, othering of Iran, and presidential exceptionalism. A purposive sample of 30 posts was selected and subjected to close linguistic analysis at the textual level (lexical choices, modality, transitivity, metaphor), discursive analysis examining production and consumption practices, and sociocultural analysis situating the posts within broader geopolitical and domestic political contexts. The findings reveal three dominant discursive strategies: militarist triumphalism, civilizational threat framing, and diplomatic coercion through digital performance. The study identifies a significant escalation rhetoric pattern in Trump's language, moving from martial declarations to civilizational annihilation threats before shifting to deal-making postures. The paper contributes to scholarship on political social media discourse, digital war rhetoric, and the use of informal communication channels by heads of state in active armed conflicts.