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Political discourse is a representation of formal communication. In this form of communication, linguistic rhetorical devices are highly recommended due to their effectiveness in expressing the user’s pragmatic purposes. Among the variety of rhetorical devices, metaphor emerges as one of persuasive devices that is deployed by a great number of politicians. This study is an analysis of metaphor employed in the two inaugural speeches of President Barack Obama and President Donald Trump. By adopting Conceptual metaphor theory and Blending theory, this study demonstrates an in-depth analysis of how metaphor works in this context. The findings show that metaphor can be a tool to reflect the politician’s belief, orientation, idealism, and political targets. With his background as a law professor, Barack Obama tends to employ source domains expressing his idealism of peace, liberty, human’s right and equality. In contrast, as a very successful businessperson, Donald Trump prefers to use metaphors to emphasize the idealism of capitalism, competition, possession, and profit-making. This study can be considered an exemplar for further study on metaphor in political discourse.
