Who Said It Better?
- A Comparison on the Fallacies Used by Presidents Rodrigo
Duterte and Donald Trump
Fallacious statements in social media
with source (name, page, website, etc.)
with date published
with number of shares/comments/reactions
grouped according to fallacy
with your argument as to why they are fallacious
NO PREDETERMINED FORMAT
NO LIMIT OR MINIMUM PAGES
DEADLINE: April 12, 11:59PM
send to: marsmarata4@gmail.com
Outline:
Short intro
Issue 1
Argument A
Why fallacies
Argument B
Why fallacies
Issue 2
Argument A
Why fallacies
Argument B
Why fallacies
(and so on)
Observations
Call to action (in our own way, how do we educate the masses to fight fallacies and
misinformation altogether)
Our current President, Rodrigo Roa Duterte, is undoubtfully a colorful character.
He’s a loudmouth who does not mind cursing on national TV, openly expresses
misogynistic statements in public1, proud of his history of extrajudicial killings2, and other
questionable declarations like how he would “ride the jet ski to the Spratlys archipelago in
South China Sea and plant a Philippine flag there”3 during the time the Philippines and
China had a dispute over the territory of the Benham Rise. It’s also important to note that
he did not. A man who would normally be condemned in modern society, won the 2016
National Elections by a landslide garnering 81% of the votes cast. 4 The secret? – publicity.
Duterte’s campaign revolved around “cleaning up the Philippines” from crime,
corrupt officials and general disorder. Since running for President in the 2016 National
Elections, he had much publicity, both good and bad, because of this. Additionally, Duterte’s
campaign team made the right move by using this publicity to their advantage. His team
partnered with the parent company of Cambridge Analytica, the company responsible for
the algorithms used in Facebook Ads. A year before the election, the CEO for the company
had said they could win an election for a "fundamentally flawed" candidate using the "right
combination of strategies."5 And it is obvious that Cambridge Analytica was successful.
Years after the election, Duterte still enjoys the popularity online.
US President Donald Trump who also got elected in the same year, share the same
popularity from his constituents. Trump, who was once an actor and a reality tv star 6, was
already popular long before his election. He was also the face of his father’s real estate
company, E. Trump & Sons7. His presidential campaign was very similar to Duterte’s,
promising to improve the lives of the Americans embodied by his famous slogan “make
America great again”.8 Similarly, he also shared criticism from some Americans due to his
controversial campaign statements like “building a wall on the border of Mexico and having
1
Hanna Ellis-Petersen, The Guardian “Rodrigo Duterte calls women at gender-equality event 'bitches'” (2019)
retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/mar/12/rodrigo-duterte-calls-women-at-gender-
equality-event-bitches-philippines on 8 April 2020
2
Emily Rauhala, The Washington Post, “Before Duterte was the Philippines’ president, he was ‘the Death
Squad mayor’” (2016) retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/before-duterte-
was-the-philippines-president-he-was-the-death-squad-mayor/2016/09/28/f1d1ccc4-800b-11e6-ad0e-
ab0d12c779b1_story.html on 8 April 2020
3
Dharel Placido, ABS-CBN News “Duterte might ride jet ski on Benham Rise “, (2018) retrieved from
https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/05/15/18/duterte-might-ride-jet-ski-on-benham-rise on 7 April 2020
4
BBC, “Philippines election: Maverick Rodrigo Duterte wins presidency” (2016) retrieved at
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-36253612 on 9 April 2020
5
Business Insider, Rosie Perper, “Cambridge Analytica's parent company claimed it invented the tough guy
image that got Rodrigo Duterte elected” (2016) retrieved at https://www.businessinsider.com/cambridge-
analytica-duterte-tough-guy-image-for-presidential-election-2018-4 on 9 April 2020
6
IMDB, “Donald Trump’s Filmography” (2020), retrieved from https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0874339/ on
11 April 2020
7
Mahler, Jonathan; Eder, Steve, "'No Vacancies' for Blacks: How Donald Trump Got His Start, and Was First
Accused of Bias" (2016).. The New York Times. Retrieved on 10 April 2020
8
Donald Trump Website, “About” (2016), retrieved at https://www.donaldjtrump.com/about on 11 April 2020
them pay for it”9, encouraging racism at best and shunning out immigrants at worst. But
like Duterte, his charisma and publicity made him win the 2016 elections.
These two Presidents share the same divided support and criticism from their
respective constituents and this paper would like to see if this phenomenon is partly due to
their manner of argumentation. Specifically, this paper aims to identify the similarities and
differences of the fallacies used by President Rodrigo Duterte and President Donald Trump.
The statements used will primarily come from Donald Trumps official Twitter account
“@realDonaldTrump”10. Due to the lack of a Twitter account or any official social media
account, statements from Duterte will be taken from the accounts of the Presidential
Official Spokesperson and mainstream media quoting him during official announcements
and addresses.
9
Peter Baker, New York Times, “Trump Declares a National Emergency, and Provokes a Constitutional Clash”
(2019) retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/15/us/politics/national-emergency-trump.html on
11 April 2020
10
Donald J. Trump, Twitter retrieved from https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump on 11 April 2020
An issue of global concern as of now is the recent spread of the Corona Virus Disease
2019 (COVID-19). Leaders around the world, including Presidents Rodrigo Duterte and
Donald Trump
Following the issuance of the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) in Luzon,
Pres. Duterte issued the following statement in a press conference on April 3. He also
previously stated the penalties given to violators.
In the second statement, Duterte managed to employ ad hominem abusive by
describing Chel Diokno and other lawyers as “lousy”. He is also arguing in circle as his
argument revolves around the fact that there would be people encouraging to violate the
law, which is only a presupposition.
11
CNN Philippines, Twitter post, @cnnphilippines (April 3, 2020) retrieved at
https://twitter.com/cnnphilippines/status/1246093056257822720 on 11 April 2020
In the same press conference, Duterte expressed his procedure for arresting
violators of the ECQ and how the people should follow authorities.
He created a false dilemma in the fourth statement by saying that those who resist
arrest should be either shot or killed because that is a law. It implied that a person should
either not resist arrest or be shot or killed. Any first-year law student could tell you that the
revised penal code states otherwise. Those resisting authority may only be imprisoned
from 1 month and 1 day to 6 months13 after due process of law. It may also be considered
an appeal to force as there are threats of being shot or killed when resisting the arrest of
the police.
12
Ibid
13
Revised Penal Code (1932), Article 151
Previously accused of spreading false information, Duterte also cleared the air in the
press conference.
His main argument for defending the accusations of spreading false information is
that he does not have the obligation to tell lies, therefore he must be telling the truth. This
is a classic example of arguing from ignorance. Just because he cannot prove one thing,
does not automatically mean that the opposite is true.
14
Ibid
15
Ibid
Although these statements certainly hold much comedic value, it is a classic case of
ad hominem abusive. His accusations against Diokno do little to discredit Diokno’s
reputation as a lawyer and politician. All of his attacks are about his situation, personal
appearance or demeanor – all of which do not affect his career.
16
Ibid
The set of statements are on Vice President Leni Robredo’s ongoing NBI
investigation.
Although his action for defending the vice president is commendable, especially
during a pandemic where political solidarity would do us good. The manner in which he
defended Robredo though, is an appeal to force. Here, he threatens the NBI to stop the
ongoing investigation of Robredo or else he would dismiss them.
17
Ibid
18
This statement, made through the Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo,
expressed the need for PNP and military in the implementation of the ECQ. The statement
was made earlier when the implementation of the ECQ was just beginning.
Although there is good reason to ask for support from the Philippine National Police
(PNP) and the military, Panelo could have worded the statement better. Saying that the
coronavirus has placed the nation “on the precipice of destruction and death” is an
exaggeration. The statement is an improper accent which is the very basis of the
argument for needing military personnel and PNP.
18
Office of the Presidential Spokesperson, Facebook post, @PresSpokespersonPH (2020), retrieved at
https://www.facebook.com/PresSpokespersonPH/photos/rpp.396756967326028/1120531451615239/?
type=3&theater on 12 April 2020
Next, is a statement issued in response to the public’s accusations of Duterte using
government funds for personal use.
The basis of his argument primarily comes from the reason that he does not have
the motive to corrupt, therefore he will not. The argument presupposes that the only
reasons for corruption are for personal use, which is not true. Thus, this may be
categorized as a false dilemma.
19
Alexis Bromero, Twitter post @alexisbromero (April 6, 2020) retrieved at
https://twitter.com/alexisbromero/status/1247170124819255299 on 12 April 2020
This statement is pertaining to the social amelioration program and the complaints
of the people not having income to support their families brought about by the ECQ.
Duterte assures that there will be support coming for those in need but fails to
provide any premises for that claim. Instead he warns to not intimidate and challenge the
government – an appeal to force.
20
Sun Star Cebu, Facebook Post @sunstarcebu (April 1, 2020) retrieved at
https://www.facebook.com/sunstarcebu/photos/p.2864065430307665/2864065430307665/?type=1&theater
on 12 April 2020
US President Donald Trump has also had to step up in light of the Coronavirus
Pandemic and had national issues to resolve and his fair share of criticisms. Some of his
statements, like Duterte’s are also riddled with fallacies.
Trump has had a long history of feuds with mainstream media, often accusing them
of spreading “fake news”. Here, he asserts that New York Times is spreading fake news on
the real origin of the Coronavirus. However, his reasoning as to why the news could be fake
was due to their recent ban in China. This is unrelated to the issue and is considered ad
hominem circumstantial.
21
Donald J. Trump, Twitter post @realDonaldTrump (April 12, 2020) retrieved at
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1249118778404765696 on 12 April 2020
Here, Trump refutes criticism for the US having one of the highest death and
infection rates of COVID-19 in the world. He claims that the government is doing a good job
based solely on the reported estimates. There are other measures for government
performance and basing it only on projected rates of infection and deaths is a hasty
generalization.
22
Donald J. Trump, Twitter post @realDonaldTrump (April 12, 2020) retrieved at
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1249092100236460033 on 12 April 2020
In this statement, Trump claims that the failure to mention the White House’s stellar
ratings is the only way to escape fake news. Like the previous statement, is a hasty
generalization. It also should be noted that a key premise in his argument is that the Wall
street Journal issues fake news, which he does not prove in any other way. This is a
presupposition in the question which turns the argument into a complex question.
23
Donald J. Trump, Twitter post @realDonaldTrump (April 12, 2020) retrieved at
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1248333612212195328 on 12 April 2020
This tweet is one of Trumps attempt to reassure the people that the economy will
rise again. This is great for a pep talk, though quite lacking for an official statement. He
poses that once the horrors of the of the COVID-19 pandemic is forgotten, the economy
would boom. This implies also that if the people do not forget this quickly, the economy
would not recover. It is a false dilemma.
24
Donald J. Trump, Twitter post @realDonaldTrump (April 12, 2020) retrieved at
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1247900240155295745 on 12 April 2020
Trump retweets a statement where Joe Biden endorsed tax increases for the state of
Wisconsin. He then assumes in his retweet that Biden wants to raise taxes for the whole of
United States because of this. This of course cannot be proven and is a fallacy of
composition.
It can be observed that President Rodrigo Duterte uses a lot of appeal to force and
ad hominem in his arguments. This is consistent with his public image as a leader with an
iron fist who is still relatable because of his use of ad hominem. Dutere also occasionally
uses false dilemma and variations of begging the question when making a point. These
types of arguments usually make the lay person assume that they are part of the decision
since the “facts” have been laid out for them, and they would select the best choice, which is
the one presented by the arguer. This might explain why Duterte still has much popularity
and support.
President Donald trump however, lacks the frequency of use of appeal to force and
ad hominem. He also does not present himself as someone who is firm, but rather someone
who is good with business and one who can make a deal. This is consistent with his use of
hasty generalization and false dilemma, techniques often used in business dealings.
25
Donald J. Trump, Twitter post @realDonaldTrump (April 5 2020) retrieved at
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/124661931163828224 on 12 April 2020
Similar to Duterte, Trump makes the lay person “take part” of the decision-making process
thus gaining him popularity.
