This study investigates the U.S presidential candidates of 2024 underlying values and ideologies by examining their lexical choices and language in the presidential debate of 2024. Using Fairclough’s Critical Discourse Analysis framework, the research analyzes three levels of discourse: textual, discursive, and sociocultural. More specifically, political discourse examines how discourse challenges or shapes power dynamics between individuals and social groups. The primary goal of the study is to determine how language reflects and reinforces the candidate’s ideological values and power positions. 

The analysis revealed that the lexical choices of the candidates were closely connected to their ideological values. The strategic use of keywords and pronouns played a central role in how each candidate reinforced their ideological values and beliefs, as well as creating unity, division, and emphasizing power. By exploring the relationship between discourse and power, this study contributes to a broader understanding of how political discourse influences social groups in relation to electoral campaigns.