Politics | Studies, essays, thesises » Bovim-Koski - Public Affairs in the Time of Trump

Source: http://www.doksinet Public Affairs in the Time of Trump By Eric Bovim and Chelsea Koski Source: http://www.doksinet Before he was elected president, Donald Trump the candidate was a public relations revolutionary. With a genius for generating mediaand often controversyhe racked up more free press than any of the candidates he ran against combined. Surprised? This was a candidate who spent more on those red “Make America Great Again” hats than he did on polling. Hillary Clinton’s stark advantages in money, campaign structure, surrogates, and grassroots organizing are well known. She should have won Somehow, Trump’s pinpoint poll surges in stalwart Democratic states can partly be explained by his unorthodox communications style, which, by now, is well known as he enters his ninth month as president. He has transferred that iconoclastic approach from the campaign trail to the White House, but with mixed results and approval ratings hovering in the high thirties to low

forties, depending on the poll. But this report is not an examination of how the 2016 election was surprisingly lost by Clinton, or a look at how Trump’s PR machine (and his heavy Twitter finger) may be damaging his favorability ratings and policy hopes. The political press corps is doing its best to explore these questions every day, even amidst claims by President Trump that much of its reportage is fake news. This report, instead, seeks to explore how President Trump’s unique PR style has totally disrupted Washington, rewriting the public affairs ground rules in the process. Below, we spell out some of the new principles for operating in the Trump White House. In the old Washington, the worlds of Obama and Bush, campaigning was relatively straightforward. You hired lobbyists. You hired PR firms. With the latter, you raised a collective ruckus in the mediaarticles, websites, press releases, etc.and you aimed that noise at decisionmakers. Eventually, decisions were reached; you

won or you lost. Rinse and repeat. SIGNAL www.signalgroupdccom President Trump’s unique PR style has totally disrupted Washington, rewriting the public affairs ground rules in the process. 2 Source: http://www.doksinet “It’s completely changed,” says James K. Glassman, a former Undersecretary of State during the Bush Administration and Chairman of Glassman Advisory. “This is the first time I’ve seen people trying to personally reach the president of the United States. That was never true during Obama and Bush. The problem is nobody has any idea what this president is going to do” Trump’s time in Washington has upended all the orthodoxies of D.C public affairs First, we have shifted from an era of 24/7 news cycles to “concurrent” news cycles. What does this mean? It used to be that news, once made, was discussed ad infinitum, until a new topic came along. A story might begin online, or in the morning paper, and it would cascade throughout the day on cable news,

the evening news, and late night shows. The cycle would begin anew the next day. Concurrent News Cycles Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Concurrent News Cycles 24/7 News Cycle P resident Trump has hijacked the news cycle since the advent of his campaign and he has not let go since. The Trump campaignand his administrationare notable for the “multiplicity” of news cycles borne by social media and perpetuated throughout the media bloodstream by accomplices in the mainstream press. The result is that, during the day, we are now buffeted by multiple news cycles, a waning appetite to follow each in too great a detail, and a wandering eye for the next Trump tweet. Monitoring has gone from a full time job, to a team approach as organizations need to have more eyes and react instantly. President Trump’s tweets are unpredictable and now a spectator sport among the White House press corps and national media. His tweets have created a frenzied news

atmosphere, a Mobius strip where once one news cycle ends another emerges in the same day. Over any protracted period of time, the following would serve as a severe media test for any president, but consider that these took place in less than twenty-four hours one day in July: Trump publicly upbraids Attorney General Jeff Sessions for his recusal in the Russia probe, all but inviting him to resign and sparking a wave of headlines; the president flies to Ohio and conducts a campaign-style town hall rally where he takes aim at the “fake news” and decries Obamacare after tweeting earlier in the day that it was “torturing the American people”; the president tweets the next morning that he has decided to ban transgender people from serving in the military. SIGNAL www.signalgroupdccom 3 Source: http://www.doksinet That has not changed at all as president. For all the criticisms of the White House for failing to “stay on message,” there is a corollary truth: the media,

chasing headline after scandal after tweet, has never fully raked beneath the surface of these stories. Who can blame them? There aren’t enough hours in the day. @realDonaldTrump Tweets for the Month of July Personal Attack, Thank you, Condolences Clinton Attacking Clinton 2.3% 2.6% Staffing New Staff Members 2% Election Voter Fraud, Mid-Terms 1.1% Obama Attacking Obama Policy (Procedure) Vote Thresholds in Congress, Appointment Blocking .4% 3.4% Policy (Foreign Policy) International Trade, Negotiations, Foreign Relations 18% Policy (Domestic Security) Law Enforcement, Immigration 4.6% Military Equipment Announcements, Veterans 5.6% Media Fake News Policy (Economy) Stock Market, Jobs 16% President Trump 7.6% ascended to the nation’s highest office, in part, by throttling the Event Attendance at U.S Open, press. Considering the Rallies, Visiting Factories Policy (Healthcare) 12% mainstream media’s Repeal and Replace relatively abysmal 12.4% Russia Russia

Investigation approval ratings (only 12% 36%, according to a Suffolk University/USA TODAY poll), it might have been a prescient maneuver. The question now, however, is whether he can thrive by continuing to flog the fourth estate while also bypassing it altogether. “It’s very sad that the media through their own political bias has lost so much credibility that they are now seen as partisan players and no longer an independent source for unbiased facts or truth,” said John McLaughlin, CEO of McLaughlin & Associates and a Trump campaign pollster. In a national omnibus he conducted in June, a majority of American’s (56%) believed the media was biased against the president. It’s very sad that the media A central irony of President Trump’s media disruption is that he is a voracious personal consumer of media and producer of content. His Twitter account, with 35 million followers, is the ultimate shrine to his media appetite and genius for circumventing traditional outlets,

an emblem of his SIGNAL www.signalgroupdccom “ through their own political bias has lost so much credibility that they are now seen as partisan players and no longer an independent source for unbiased facts or truth.” John McLaughlin, CEO of McLaughlin & Associates 4 Source: http://www.doksinet brand’s unwavering promise to speak directly to the American voter. Our sources tell us that President Trump, increasingly frustrated by seeing his message getting bottlenecked by the mainstream press, is plotting a bigger pivot towards a more campaign-style communications strategy that will include rallies in swing states and other direct-to-voter activities. Trump’s Reading List Where does this leave the mainstream press in today’s Washington? First, they’re not going anywhere, despite being maligned as fake news. The rapid ascent of upstart Axios last year, the new online media company launched by POLITICO alums Mike Allen and Jim VandeHei, proves that Americans are

eager for high-quality journalism. Second, through Trump’s concurrent news cycle, and amid him calling the news ‘fake,’ media organizations are growing in coverage and ratings. DC news bureaus are staffing up, and outlets on both side of the aisle are increasing viewership as people attempt to keep up. From a campaign perspective, it’s not as if the president and others in the West Wing have forsaken traditional media altogether. True, the president has had a love/hate relationship with the mainstream media; for a long time, he religiously watched MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” only to famously defect and proclaim his allegiance to “Fox and Friends.” Meanwhile, conservative outlets like Breitbart and The Daily Caller , non-grata during the Obama Administration, not only receive press passes to the daily briefings, but also have an active following inside the West Wing, we’re told. The same source says that the president reads five newspapers, cover to cover, each morning,

which is a surprising mix of mainstream and conservative media: the New York Times , Wall Street Journal , Washington Post and Washington Times and New York Post . Go figure Orchestrating a public affairs campaign today in Washington requires a new approach. First, there is a plurality of media channels (with a bias towards conservative outlets) that reach into the White House; the news cycle is unceasing and “concurrent”; there are also new ways companies can use social media. And second, the dense, legalistic corporate messaging that prevailed from D.C offices in years past does not hold much appeal in this administration. SIGNAL www.signalgroupdccom 5 Source: http://www.doksinet What to do? We’ve tried to whittle down our thinking into a list of takeaways that represent our best thinking on how to win in Washington during these early Trump days. This is by no means the definitive list; our thinking willand mustevolve, as the President changes with the role. For now,

here’s the topline: 12 Ways to Win in the Trump Administration: Throw Out the Rulebook – If the last year has taught us anything, it’s that trying novel, audacious approaches to connecting with audiences (both as consumers and on policy issues) is worth the investment. Even if a specific tactic doesn’t yield a desired outcome, we’re in an era that acknowledges bold, transparent action. “Jobs First” Messaging – The motto of the Trump campaign has carried over to Washington: you have to build an America-first pitch to get reception in the White House. If it helps Trump’s core red-state supporters, even better Talk About Winning – People like winners. Success stories that feature tangible outcomes and everyday Americans that are enjoying success are relatable at any level. Just as important? Highlighting how specific “winning” is threatened by policy stasis and Washington gridlock. Visual Washington – Unlike in Congress where policy is considered in concert

with politics, with Trump gone are the days of the thoughtful white papers and moderated policy discussions. Your story needs to be quick, clean, visually represented, and have an easy-to-remember anecdote or personal story that represents the challenge/solution. Access White House – While the Obama Administration left corporations outside the fence, CEOs are welcome guests in the Trump West Wing if they have the right pro-U.S message The Balancing Act – Companies must balance the need to engage with the administration as an entity in power, and the public opinion of the individual in power. SIGNAL www.signalgroupdccom 6 Source: http://www.doksinet 12 Ways to Win in the Trump Administration (cont.): Pay Attention to Tweets – As former Press Secretary Sean Spicer said, tweets “are considered official statements by the president of the United States.” Twitter is the new press room, and you need an early detection system in place to respond accordingly. Know the Person

Who Knows the President – There are multiple access points to the president, so be creativeand recognize the best way of getting there is not always a straight line. People Are Policy – One thing that has not changed in Washington is that relationships matter. Know the personnel and where they fit in the current ecosystem. Know where they go to church Know what magazines they read. Take a targeted approach Use both friendships and professional expertise to devise the best ways to offer information. Knowns Vs. Unknowns – The media’s and Congress’ processes and priorities generally haven’t changed, but this administration is drastically different and unpredictable. You have to choose your path on issues and determine which group will be more favorable. Invest to Get Your Message in the Right Places – Whether it’s Politico Playbook, Axios, or Morning Consult, there are daily summaries of the news every morning and afternoon, and these are followed religiously by

politicians, regulators, and the media. So, if you want to get a message to opinion elites in Washington, invest in paid messaging in the right places. Look Beyond the “Bigs” – The media giants of the past are not the only option. The pendulum of credibility from the White House’s perspective swings far right, and brings the previously ignored (Washington Times), shunned (Mike Cernovich/Alex Jones), and ridiculed (“Fox & Friends”) to the world of influence. SIGNAL www.signalgroupdccom 7 Source: http://www.doksinet Eric Bovim Throughout his career in journalism and consulting, clients have come to rely upon Eric’s expertise in high-stakes public affairs campaigns, crisis communications, litigation support, and corporate reputation management. As Managing Director and Executive Committee Member at SIGNAL, Eric leads its Strategic Communications business to create bespoke strategies; embrace digital technology; and deploy committed and expert client teams.

View full bio: http://signalgroupdc.com/member/eric-bovim/ Chelsea Koski Chelsea came to Washington with dreams of becoming Katie Couric, and quickly decided to move behind the camera and help clients tell their story. As an Executive Vice President at SIGNAL, Chelsea specializes in devising innovative campaigns that move the needle through media relations, digital strategies, and third-party engagement. View full bio: http://signalgroupdc.com/member/chelsea-koski/ Signal Group Signal Group offers world class counsel in government relations and strategic communications. A fixture in Washington, SIGNAL advises clients across the globe, including industry-leading companies, CEOs, governments, and non-profits, who want tailored strategies for solving highstakes challenges. We are a unique collection of top practitioners from our fieldslobbying, PR, public affairs, and digital mediaall focused on delivering transformative outcomes for our client partners. For more information, please

visit wwwsignalgroupdccom SIGNAL www.signalgroupdccom 8