Donald Trump’s re-election as President of the United States changes a lot of rules. As a professional communicator, I wouldn’t work for Trump, period. Aside from his well-documented behavior, he also doesn’t appreciate expertise of any kind. As an evident narcissist, one can tell he would erode any relationship. He’s devalued generals who have worked for him. I can’t imagine what he would do to a person who suggested: “Don’t mock the disabled at a press conference,” for example. He’d reject such good advice. That’s for sure, and best of luck to him.
Still. Trump’s behavior on the campaign trail broke rules about what works and what doesn’t. He rambled. He lied. He was racist and sexist. And yet, he won. For those of us who work to help people to communicate for a living, that’s hard to take. If I’m media training somebody over the coming weeks, what am I supposed to draw from it?
“Try that again but be a little angrier. If you can blame immigrants for everything, that’ll also land better. Have you considered wearing some orange makeup to deliver those talking points? I realize you’re not, but could you pretend to be from generational wealth? Is there a way you can sound more entitled with what you’re saying? Can you hate women a tad more? At the same time, can you say it in a way that might appeal to a working-class person who can’t afford food? Have you considered playing golf instead of listening to me coach you?”
It’s not advice I can stand behind. Trump appealed to people’s anger and stirred up their hate. I’ve read a lot of soul-searching on the other side about what Kamala Harris did wrong, but I can’t say I agree with much of it. She ran a strong campaign and took some strategic choices. Amongst those, she decided to avoid the issue of her race and gender. Those seemed smart to me. She didn’t give people enough reason to back her on the economy. But I’m not sure that was her fault, either. She did put strong plans forward, including helping people to buy homes and have children. I wish her all the best and hope she knows that some Americans appreciate the sacrifice she made in running. I sense that Gavin Newsom might run in 2028, assuming we still have elections by then, and he’ll have a strong chance. He’ll be able to run on a “let’s fix the mess” ticket, if the next four years go as I expect them to. Then in 2032, another white guy will run and win, possibly for another party, or the same one. And in 2036, another white guy. And so on.
Countries tend to veer left and right over the years. People were angry about inflation and immigration under Joe Biden. Harris worked for him and so, voters associated her with his record. That’s fair. Am I sad that they voted for a racist narcissist misogynist would-be dictator instead? Yes. It’s outrageous and it underlines the reality of America’s challenges on these issues. I also can’t say I’m too surprised and the important thing to do here is take that on the chin. Nobody said making progress in America was easy. I’m not about to blame Kamala Harris for it, either. That seems lazy. I’ve read so much hostile nonsense aimed her way since last week.
If I were a nonprofit leader right now, I’d be asking myself the following:
—Are we saying anything glib that could alienate the few moderate Republicans left?
—How knee-jerk are our anti-Trump sentiments? Can we avoid going there too often?
—How does our organization work to bridge some of the divides that deepened in the campaign?
—Let’s review all our talking points and materials as though we were saying them to Susan Collins.
—Which of our programmatic areas are going to suffer worst under Trump? Do we need to switch our focus, or double down?
—How do we communicate with our funders? What do they want to hear from us, right now?
—What are our hard lines? Where won’t we compromise?
—Where will we compromise? Do we need to talk about that as an organization to avoid any misunderstandings and manage risk?
—Anger is helpful as a driver and motivator, but how is it showing up in our communications, and is that helping? How strategic is our rage? If it’s not strategic, how can we channel it?
—What do we need to do to protect our 501c3 tax status?
The ACLU ran a full-page ad in the New York Times last week promising to hold Trump accountable. As an organization that’s sued his administration in the past over a variety of issues, I could see it made sense. Meanwhile I’m looking forward to figuring out how to factor in Trump’s new victory, on a host of fronts. Yes, the rules of strategic communication have changed. We have a more serious opportunity to do it right, than ever. I’m not trying to make the shock and sadness or outrage any smaller. I’m asking what one does with those, next. It’s important. Let’s get stuck in.
—Matt Davis is a strategic communications, PR and editorial thought leadership consultant and writer for a wide variety of clients. He lives with his wife and son in New York.
