Update: I dusted off this post because the content remains relevant today. The President continues to struggle with the concept of delivering a clear and consistent message. Yet, he’s a “natural” at generating earned media. . Before addressing the question, let’s consider the high-level objectives of the typical communications campaign. Increase awareness, often in …more
When Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently stepped up to the podium, his words didn’t get my attention (and not just because my Hebrew vocabulary is eight words on a good day). Instead, I zeroed in on the backdrop depicted in the photo below. If I’m reading this correctly, Mobileye, a maker of technology for …more
Yes, President Trump capitulated last Friday, and the U.S. government is once again open for business. But his quest for a wall isn’t going away, and it has nothing to do with securing our borders. Instead, Trump is looking to establish a symbol of his legacy that works better on Instagram than a presidential library. …more
Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. I intended to slide into the holiday on a happy note. But I can’t leave alone the White House statement on Saudi Arabia and the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. It turns out that Trump didn’t care whether Saudi Arabia’s crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, was behind the murder or not. He …more
Roughly two years ago, I wrote a post about then-candidate Trump and how he used conversational language as a differentiator. Given his communications since moving into the White House, I decided to dust off the point of view that riffs on a Wall Street Journal column. Unfortunately, skipping to the end, bombastic did win the …more
By my count, 42 high-profile individuals have left the White House, most in a huff. And that’s not counting Omarosa. . Whether they were fired or they resigned, the outcome is the same with Trump finally landing on a metric where he can claim the No. 1 spot — senior staff turnover in the …more
Before addressing the question, let’s consider the high-level objectives of the typical communications campaign. Increase awareness, often in the form of media coverage. Strive to fortify the brand. Of course, the ultimate goal is to win people over to your way of thinking so they “buy.” By this definition, Trump’s unconventional approach to communications has …more
President Trump has decided to not host the Golden State Warriors at the White House for the traditional light banter — “Hey Zaza, I bet you shop at Whole Foods” — and photo op. Naturally, the President shared his decision on Twitter, calling out Stephen Curry for his lack of enthusiasm. Going to the White …more
White House insiders have confirmed that President Trump plans to replace the Statue of Liberty with one of himself. This was his fallback plan after his quest to join Roosevelt, Jefferson, Lincoln and Washington on Mt. Rushmore proved tougher than it looked. Apparently, President Trump thought the faces on Mt. Rushmore were sculpted out of …more
