“It’s the Economy, Stupid!” The Impact of the Economy and other External Factors on Presidential Rhetoric

This study explains the impact of external factors on presidential rhetoric. The research in this area postulates that it is the personality of individuals that has a significant impact on rhetoric; however, there is a growing body of research that posits external factors, including the economy, the environment, education, conflict, and health of the United States, may be the determinants of presidential rhetoric. In the context of this study, presidential rhetoric refers to State of the Union speeches delivered between 1961 and 2020. To investigate the possible relationships between presidential rhetoric and external factors, I analyze 53 State of the Union speeches utilizing text context analysis software. These analyses produce values representing the leaders’ self-confidence, as demonstrated in their State of the Union speeches. The results of this study indicate that change in life expectancy and change in death rate of the United States consistently have a significant effect on the self-confidence within presidential rhetoric. Additionally, other factors such as change in gross domestic product were significant predictors of self-confidence in models that exclude President Donald Trump’s rhetoric. This research contributes to the existing body of research that posits that external factors influence political speech

Infinite random matrix theory, tridiagonal bordered Toeplitz matrices, and the moment problem

The four major asymptotic level density laws of random matrix theory may all be showcased through their Jacobi parameter representation as having a bordered Toeplitz form. We compare and contrast these laws, completing and exploring their representations in one place. Inspired by the bordered Toeplitz form, we propose an algorithm for the finite moment problem by proposing a solution whose density has a bordered Toeplitz form.National Science Foundation (U.S.) (DMS-1312831, DMS-1016125, DMS-1016086