I’ll begin with the counterargument: If everything goes according to plan, the PR war over tariffs will be irrelevant, because the ultimate “spin” is a complete and total victory. And there’s a clear path to the finish line, which we outlined a month ago:
Trump’s best PR path forward is to do exactly what he just did: On day one, impose painful tariffs on everyone. This way, you frontload the bad news. And then, after a few weeks of economic turmoil, the other countries will (hopefully) come begging to renegotiate — their hat in hand — because the possibility of losing the rich, rewarding, ultra-lucrative U.S. marketplace makes ‘em panic.
After a few weeks of horrible, devastating economic news (which, alas, we’re seeing now), the headlines will then change in a hurry: Every other day, Trump would have a new, positive tariff treaty to announce!
After the first few countries cave, it will incentivize all the other nations to get their [tushies] in gear and get a deal done fast — lest they wait too long and are frozen out of the U.S. marketplace.
Done right, it creates a win-win domino effect: The new American gold rush!
However, there was a caveat:
But it’s still a high-risk strategy for Trump, because there’s no guarantee the other top countries will quickly fold. Sure, we expect places like France to live up to their white-flag-waving reputations (“Je suis un lâche!”), but national pride is tricky to predict. In the foreign countries that viscerally loathe Trump, the politicians can score points by “standing up the American bully.”
We’re now one month removed from Liberation Day, and MAGA Nation certainly frontloaded the bad news. There was a lot of it.
And the latest polls reflect it. Here’s a hodgepodge of headlines over the last seven days:
Fox News: Trump poll numbers on economy fall during trade fight, survey finds
Gallup News: Most Americans Skeptical About Benefits of Tariffs
ABC News: Nearly two-thirds of Americans disapprove of Trump tariffs
The Hill: Almost 6 in 10 say Trump policies making economy worse
Yahoo News: Poll: After 1st 100 days, Trump’s approval rating continues to crater as 57% say he’s ‘gone too far’ on tariffs
NBC News: Poll: Americans vent disappointment with Trump ahead of 100 day, especially on tariffs
Reuters: Risk of global economic recession surges on US tariff shockwaves: Reuters poll
Newsweek: Americans Lose Faith in Economy Amid Trump Tariffs
Not good, and it’s a credit to Trump that the polls weren’t worse. This entire month has been a loud, angry drumbeat of media negativity — and Americans weren't well-educated about tariff policy or global trade deals beforehand, because it's not a sexy topic. In those (boring) days pre-Trump, Bill O’Reilly on Fox News and Rachel Maddow on MSNBC almost never mentioned ‘em.
So, it’s not like illegal immigration, where we’ve heard the different arguments a zillion times and have already settled on a conclusion (which is why the media’s negativity about that lovable Maryland family man failed to move the needle). But with tariffs, we’re still hearing the arguments.
Some Americans for the first time ever.
Without the “institutional knowledge” (including, sadly, those lovely on-air tutorials from the Limbaugh Institute for Advanced Conservative Studies; he would be so helpful right now) to sort through the hysteria, the public is vulnerable to PR manipulation. As of today, Americans are thinking about tariffs though the lens of the mainstream media outlets.
And those outlets are focusing on:
- The economy is cratering! Everything’s crashing!
- Trump is a power-hungry maniac and out of control!
- Inflation will explode! We’ll all be broke!
- Shelves will be bare!
- Tariffs are stupid and destructive, lowering America’s standing in the world!
That’s a problem.
Related: 100 Days, 100 Slays: The Greatest Hits of the Most Consequential 100 Days of Our Lifetime!
Click over to cnn.com. (I know, I know: CNN is gross. But do it anyway.) CNN is a mainstream media outlet that almost always follows the mainstream media script, so the stories it covers (and won’t cover) can be illuminating.
Right now, as of early Friday morning, May 2, all the normal anti-Trump nonsense is being highlighted, with the top story about American shoppers bracing “for tariff fallout.”
But juuust below that, there’s a breaking news item that CNN couldn’t ignore, and it’s key to MAGA Nation winning the PR war: Breaking News: The US economy added a stronger-than-expected 177,000 jobs in April
The long-resilient jobs market continues to defy expectations — even in the wake of swirling uncertainty.
The US economy added a surprisingly strong 177,000 jobs in April, a slight slowdown from March’s downwardly revised 185,000 gains, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data released Friday.
April’s jobs report marks another solid month of job gains and a continuation of a historic expansion of the labor market.
Ding, ding, ding, ding!!
For PR purposes, tariffs and jobs MUST be connected at the hip. Whenever you talk about tariffs, ALWAYS connect them to good, high-paying American jobs.
Come. Back. To. Jobs. No. Matter. What.
President Trump likes to talk about fairness. (In fact, he called his tariff plan “Fair and Reciprocal.”)
It’s not his best argument.
The American people care FAR less about global fairness than they do about jobs. “Fairness” is subjective.
Jobs are tangible.
I don’t know how many Americans are willing to sacrifice long-term, just so U.S. companies can carve out richer trade deals on the global stage. That’s a really big “ask.”
But we’ll sacrifice so our friends, neighbors, children, and family will have better jobs. ‘Cause that’s a cause worth fighting for!
So that’s your memo: Update your talking points. Focus like a freaking laser on jobs.
Take the latest job report and run with it.
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