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Constructing Legitimacy Through War Framing: An Analysis of Donald Trump's Communication During the U.S.–Iran Conflict

Borgfors Wande, Elin LU ; Lindgren, Erik LU and Wennerstrand, Elis LU (2026) MKVA22 20261
Media and Communication Studies
Department of Communication and Media
Abstract
This thesis titled “Constructing Legitimacy Through War Framing” is written by Elin Borgfors Wande, Erik Lindgren and Elis Wennerstrand at the Department of Communication at Lund University. The study is situated within the field of media and communication studies and examines Donald Trump’s framing of the United States-Iran conflict in his Truth Social communication with particular focus on how military action is legitimized. It explores how different actors are constructed in Trump’s framing of the conflict, and which problem definitions, moral evaluations and proposed remedies are used to make military action appear necessary or justified. The material consists of 20 Truth Social posts published between 28
February and 14 March 2026,... (More)
This thesis titled “Constructing Legitimacy Through War Framing” is written by Elin Borgfors Wande, Erik Lindgren and Elis Wennerstrand at the Department of Communication at Lund University. The study is situated within the field of media and communication studies and examines Donald Trump’s framing of the United States-Iran conflict in his Truth Social communication with particular focus on how military action is legitimized. It explores how different actors are constructed in Trump’s framing of the conflict, and which problem definitions, moral evaluations and proposed remedies are used to make military action appear necessary or justified. The material consists of 20 Truth Social posts published between 28
February and 14 March 2026, covering the initial phase of the conflict. The study uses a qualitative framing analysis based on Entman’s four framing functions: problem definition, causal interpretation, moral evaluation and remedy recommendation. The analysis demonstrates that Trump’s communication legitimizes military action through several interconnected frames, where
the Iranian regime is constructed as a dangerous and morally illegitimate enemy, while U.S. military force is framed as necessary, successful and peace-producing. At the same time, the Iranian people are separated from the regime, presented as victims and connected to domestic politics. Finally, domestic opponents and media actors are framed as illegitimate obstacles to Trump’s interpretation of the conflict. The findings also suggest that wartime legitimization on social media platforms extends beyond the construction of foreign enemies and increasingly incorporates domestic political opponents into conflict narratives. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Borgfors Wande, Elin LU ; Lindgren, Erik LU and Wennerstrand, Elis LU
supervisor
organization
course
MKVA22 20261
year
type
L2 - 2nd term paper (old degree order)
subject
keywords
Framing, Donald Trump, United States-Iran conflict, Truth Social, military legitimatization, political communication.
language
English
id
9229686
date added to LUP
2026-06-16 13:44:41
date last changed
2026-06-16 13:44:41
@misc{9229686,
  abstract     = {{This thesis titled “Constructing Legitimacy Through War Framing” is written by Elin Borgfors Wande, Erik Lindgren and Elis Wennerstrand at the Department of Communication at Lund University. The study is situated within the field of media and communication studies and examines Donald Trump’s framing of the United States-Iran conflict in his Truth Social communication with particular focus on how military action is legitimized. It explores how different actors are constructed in Trump’s framing of the conflict, and which problem definitions, moral evaluations and proposed remedies are used to make military action appear necessary or justified. The material consists of 20 Truth Social posts published between 28
February and 14 March 2026, covering the initial phase of the conflict. The study uses a qualitative framing analysis based on Entman’s four framing functions: problem definition, causal interpretation, moral evaluation and remedy recommendation. The analysis demonstrates that Trump’s communication legitimizes military action through several interconnected frames, where
the Iranian regime is constructed as a dangerous and morally illegitimate enemy, while U.S. military force is framed as necessary, successful and peace-producing. At the same time, the Iranian people are separated from the regime, presented as victims and connected to domestic politics. Finally, domestic opponents and media actors are framed as illegitimate obstacles to Trump’s interpretation of the conflict. The findings also suggest that wartime legitimization on social media platforms extends beyond the construction of foreign enemies and increasingly incorporates domestic political opponents into conflict narratives.}},
  author       = {{Borgfors Wande, Elin and Lindgren, Erik and Wennerstrand, Elis}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Constructing Legitimacy Through War Framing: An Analysis of Donald Trump's Communication During the U.S.–Iran Conflict}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}