The aim of this study is to examine how national identity is being conceptualized in American and Russian inauguration speeches. I will study american speeches that were held by the presidents George W.Bush, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama. While the Russian speeches were held by the presidents Boris Jeltsin, Vladimir Putin and Dimitrij Medvedev. I picked these two countries because they differ in many ways, meanwhile both are considered to be two of the most powerful countries in the world. The inaugurational speeches has been analyzed through a critical discourse analysis. I have been using theories on national identity to analyze how national identity is being conceptualized. The analysis shows that the conceptualization of national identity in USA and Russia have both similiarities and differences. The American presidents on one side – conceptualize a national identity based on common discourses while the Russians mostly construct an identity based on the nation’s interest. For example, the Russian presidents use pronouns such as “I and We” which leads to a more defined power structured. Meanwhile the Americans create an identity based on “We and Our”. The American citizens are described as a big family that are responsible of their historical heritage, while the Russians are described as free and democratic citizens. Even though they are described as free citizens, they are not seen as group of fellow Russian citizens.