The 'Securitisation' of Asylum Seekers and Refugees in the United States of America: The Case of Donald Trump During his first 100 Days in Office

This study examined the collective identification and characterisation of asylum seekers and refugees by United States (US) politician and President Donald Trump during his first 100 days in office in 2017. To answer the research question, a content analysis and discourse analysis of Trump’s utterances across different platforms was conducted. The Securitisation Theory espoused by the Copenhagen School of Security Studies and the Social Identity Theory of Henri Tajfel and John Turner formed the theoretical backbone of this study. The study found that Donald Trump overwhelmingly characterised migrants from Muslim-majority countries, including asylum seekers and refugees, as potential security threats.