Trump’s PR Meltdown

[Pete F.]

Hi Republicans.

Long time, no talk. You and I used to do a fair amount of work together. But since the party took a collective hit off of a crack pipe and nominated a morally bankrupt reality show host to be president, I haven’t been around much.

Because if there’s one thing you guys don’t need, it’s help on the PR front. Trump is a communications genius! He’s his own press secretary! Look at all those Twitter followers, amirite?

And yet, I can’t help but think the old comms strategy could use a tune up. So I thought I’d send along a few thoughts:

Stop putting Rudy Giuliani on television. He’s drunk. Or maybe just addled? I don’t know—but it doesn’t matter because he’s going to get you all sent to prison by reading text messages from State Department officials out loud on Laura Ingraham’s show. Go to the zoo. Find an adorable penguin. Put that little guy on instead.

I see you have talking points. Great! Now all you have to do is not send them directly to Nancy Pelosi’s office. Oops. But let’s turn this negative into a positive by using it as an opportunity to come up with talking points that don’t insult the intelligence of wax fruit. Why don’t you try, “What the president did was unquestionably wrong and we apologize for abusing the power of the presidency for his personal political gain. It won’t happen again.” That’s not hard, is it?

It’s great that you’re going on offense against Joe and Hunter Biden, that’s the right move. Republicans are the anti-corruption party, right?
We cannot have an elected official occupying one of the highest offices in the land while simultaneously having his children profit from his office.
So maybe—just spitballing here—you should have Ivanka, Jared, Eric, and Don Jr. shut down their White House money-printing machine for a couple of months so people forget that this president is the least credible person in the world to make that argument about the Bidens.

Buy Jim Jordan a suit jacket. I know you’re running low on people willing to publicly debase themselves for the party, but television is a visual medium. And if Jordan is going to let Jake Tapper put him in a figure-four leg lock on national TV, he should at least look like his wife hasn’t kicked him out of the house and he’s sleeping on his office couch.

Bench Kevin McCarthy altogether. He may have many gifts as a political leader, but he is really not good at going on TV.

Someone tell Lindsey Graham that his “hearsay” talking point is a bad hill to die on. The argument that the whistleblower didn’t hear things first hand isn’t exculpatory. It’s actually just another good reason to investigate the whistleblower’s claims and talk to the primary sources.
Evergreen advice: Take Trump’s phone, smash it with a hammer, and then hit any pieces leftover with BleachBit. Whatever it takes to make him to STOP. TWEETING.
Tweeting things like:

Donald J. Trump
✔
@realDonaldTrump
· 15h
Replying to @realDonaldTrump
....Election, and negate the votes of millions of Evangelicals in the process. They know the only Impeachable offense that President Trump has committed was beating Hillary Clinton in 2016. That’s the unpardonable sin for which the Democrats will never forgive him.....


Donald J. Trump
✔
@realDonaldTrump
....If the Democrats are successful in removing the President from office (which they will never be), it will cause a Civil War like fracture in this Nation from which our Country will never heal.” Pastor Robert Jeffress, @FoxNews

60.3K
9:11 PM - Sep 29, 2019

Maybe the MAGAheads like this stuff, but your job is to keep all of the marginal Republican office-holders onboard so that you don’t risk a stampede on the off-chance that some of them decide that they can’t not do the right thing. And tweets like that are only going to push the marginal R’s away from Trump. Witness Illinois Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger, responding with:

Adam Kinzinger
✔
@RepKinzinger
I have visited nations ravaged by civil war. @realDonaldTrump I have never imagined such a quote to be repeated by a President. This is beyond repugnant.

Now, I know what you’re thinking: “Hey, this playbook worked for us the first time around with that whole Russia thing. A deft combination of whataboutism, obfuscation, preemptive framing, and misdirection is all we need to pull this off.”

Here’s the problem: Unlike the two-volume, 430-page Mueller report, the whistleblower report is 9 pages long. The central allegation is clear-cut and easy to understand. And it has already been proven true with the release of the call summary between Trump and Ukraine’s president.

You can try to spin the facts and fall back on process-arguments—but the battlespace is much smaller and the tempo is much faster than the Mueller wars. Most people will be able to read the report and anyone who doesn’t can clearly understand what happened: The president was acting like a mafia don by talking about the kind of “help” he could give Ukraine and then asking for “favors.” I mean, even Chris Christie understands that this is a problem: In an attempt to pre-spin all of this before the call summary was released, Christie insisted that it would only be bad for Trump if he said something blatantly extortive. Like, “do me a favor.”

Oops. Again.

Also, the Democrats and the media may be on to you. They’ve seen you run this play before and they’ve made adjustments. And the American people aren’t so sure anymore, either. In fact, a majority of them now back the impeachment inquiry. Including nearly 1-in-4 Republicans.

When it comes to crisis communications there’s a strategy that most professional comms people live by: Tell the truth. Tell it all. Tell it fast.

It’s good advice for most people. But some clients are constitutionally incapable of it. Trump is one of them. Obviously. For him, telling the whole truth, quickly, was never really going to be an option.

Listening to some of you grumbling privately over the last 10 days, I can tell that you are frustrated by the president right now. I understand that frustration. But you shouldn’t be surprised.

On the stump, one of Trump’s favorite bits is to read a poem called “The Snake.” He does this a lot. Here’s one of his performances:



If you don’t want to watch it, I’ll just give you the punchline:

I saved you, cried the woman. And you’ve bitten me, heavens why?

You know your bite is poisonous and now I’m going to die.

Oh, shut up, silly woman, said the reptile with a grin.

You knew damn well I was a snake before you took me in.

Trump, of course, tells this story as a warning about the perceived dangers of immigration. Evidently Republicans never understood that it was also about them.

Sarah Longwell
Sarah Longwell is publisher of The Bulwark.
https://thebulwark.com/trumps-pr-meltdown/

[Jim in CT]

i guess if there’s one person who knows what a meltdown is, its you.
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[Pete F.]

For someone who doesn’t really like Trump you certainly hop to quickly
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[spence]

Originally Posted by Jim in CT

i guess if there’s one person who knows what a meltdown is, its you.
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He's not melting down he's piling on

[Jim in CT]

Originally Posted by Pete F.

For someone who doesn’t really like Trump you certainly hop to quickly
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i also don’t like bs. i didn’t like when conservatives said obama was a birther, i don’t like it when liberals say trump is the anti christ.
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[Pete F.]

Originally Posted by Jim in CT

i also don’t like bs. i didn’t like when conservatives said obama was a birther, i don’t like it when liberals say trump is the anti christ.
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Sarah Longwell is a liberal, in your dreams.

[Pete F.]

Here is the WH defense strategy: Since Hillary, Biden, The Pope, and Colonel Sanders have done far worse things in concert with The Deep State, it’s all super cool and totally not illegal because sometimes you got to do a little sinning yourself to expose the real sinners.
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[Sea Dangles]

Trump 2020
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[Got Stripers]

They are going to need a bigger clown car, it’s not just a Trump, Barr is off chasing down his bosses conspiracy theories and now Pompeo is caught lying about knowledge of the phone call. Put Moscow Mitch in the trunk because he isn’t much use.
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[Jim in CT]

Originally Posted by Sea Dangles

Trump 2020
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amen brother.

leading up to the 2016 election, i was certain he was going to get creamed, of course i looked like a fool.

i’ll say now that unless biden or
harris is the nominee, and unless something a lot more serious is exposed about him, he wins big.

obama won in 2012, and hilary lost in 2016, in no small part because of black support ( obama had massive amounts, hilary not so
much). i don’t know if i see blacks rallying behind Lie-awatha. and trumps base will be as energized as can be with impeachment.

again, i don’t think the democrats have any clue what matters to people who live between the coasts.
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[Pete F.]

Originally Posted by Jim in CT

amen brother.

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[scottw]

I wonder what kind of stupid hats the dummycraps will wear to the impeachment?...or maybe they will all wear the same color or come up with a catchy chant....

can't wait to see what Peto has up his sleeve for Trump's second term

[The Dad Fisherman]

Originally Posted by scottw

I wonder what kind of stupid hats the dummycraps will wear to the impeachment?...or maybe they will all wear the same color or come up with a catchy chant....

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[Pete F.]

Trump's job approval is 37% in a new CNBC poll, matching the lowest number this poll has recorded. His net approval is -16, his worst net approval for CNBC.

Trump's approval on the economy is also now underwater: 42% approve, 50% disapprove (-8 net approval, another new low).

[scottw]

Originally Posted by The Dad Fisherman

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that's perfect

[wdmso]

Originally Posted by Jim in CT

amen brother.


i unless something a lot more serious is exposed about him,

i don’t think the democrats have any clue what matters to people who live between the coasts.
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

WOW AMAZING.. how much more do yo need ... ??? AND plz what matters to those in the middle of the country but not THE rest of us on the coast... id love to hear about it
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[Jim in CT]

Originally Posted by Pete F.

Trump's job approval is 37% in a new CNBC poll, matching the lowest number this poll has recorded. His net approval is -16, his worst net approval for CNBC.

Trump's approval on the economy is also now underwater: 42% approve, 50% disapprove (-8 net approval, another new low).

oh my yes, the economy is clearly in shambles.
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[Jim in CT]

Originally Posted by wdmso

WOW AMAZING.. how much more do yo need ... ??? AND plz what matters to those in the middle of the country but not THE rest of us on the coast... id love to hear about it
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so you see no cultural divide between the coasts and flyover country? have you seen the map of the 2016 elections, showing which counties were red/blue? look at that map, and then tell us that there’s no difference.

to the extent that anyone in the democratic party is talking about the policies they endorse ( as opposed to bashing trump), those policies include abortion to the moment of birth, open borders, single payer healthcare, reparations, green new deal, free everything, removing as many references to god as possible.

why don’t you post some polls on where americans stand on these issues?
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[Jim in CT]

Originally Posted by wdmso

WOW AMAZING.. how much more do yo need ... ??? AND plz what matters to those in the middle of the country but not THE rest of us on the coast... id love to hear about it
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I said there's a big difference in the values of people on the coasts, versus the middle of the country.

WDMSO scoffed at that.

Behold...county level results from 2016. now tell me I'm wrong, Columbo.

[spence]

Originally Posted by Jim in CT

to the extent that anyone in the democratic party is talking about the policies they endorse ( as opposed to bashing trump), those policies include abortion to the moment of birth, open borders, single payer healthcare, reparations, green new deal, free everything, removing as many references to god as possible.

You're behind on your info Jim. Abortion now is until 5 years, the plan is to give all illegal border entries 5 grand and a cheese basket, healthcare will be mandatory, no carbon emissions after 2020 and churches will be converted into reprogramming centers.

[spence]

Originally Posted by Jim in CT

I said there's a big difference in the values of people on the coasts, versus the middle of the country.

WDMSO scoffed at that.

Behold...county level results from 2016. now tell me I'm wrong, Columbo.

Go find the purple map Jim.

[scottw]

Originally Posted by Pete F.

Trump's job approval is 37% in a new CNBC poll, matching the lowest number this poll has recorded. His net approval is -16, his worst net approval for CNBC.

Trump's approval on the economy is also now underwater: 42% approve, 50% disapprove (-8 net approval, another new low).

it's weird how the msm pounds trump every minute of every day then takes a poll and reports trump has low numbers

[Pete F.]

Originally Posted by Jim in CT

to the extent that anyone in the democratic party is talking about the policies they endorse ( as opposed to bashing trump), those policies include abortion to the moment of birth, open borders, single payer healthcare, reparations, green new deal, free everything, removing as many references to god as possible.

why don’t you post some polls on where americans stand on these issues?
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

Once again you present your lying argument that seeks to tar all democrats with the most extreme policies. The same can be said of the Trumplicans.

White supremacists identify with the Trumplican Party, as do neo-nazis and Anti Semites.

Trumplicans promote policies and make statements that would make birth control illegal, stop free trade, establish a state religion, kill the climate, keep black people in their place, Mexico will pay for the wall, eliminate coverage for preexisting conditions, windmills give you cancer, increase the deficit, claim rising sea levels are due to the erosion of the white cliffs of Dover and the California coastline, global warming was created by the Chinese, Al Qaeda has camps on the Mexican border, propose a 70% tax on the Patriots so that NFL competition is more fair and equal, eliminate social security, claim God wants women in the kitchen, privatize medicaid, prohibit sex for other than procreation, make yoga pants illegal, reduce voter turnout, claim vaccines cause autism and create government funded religious christian education.

Make that untrue

[Jim in CT]

Originally Posted by spence

You're behind on your info Jim. Abortion now is until 5 years, the plan is to give all illegal border entries 5 grand and a cheese basket, healthcare will be mandatory, no carbon emissions after 2020 and churches will be converted into reprogramming centers.

i watched the debates spence, these are the policies endorsed by everyone on that stage except Biden, and you just torpedoed him to impeach (but not remove) trump.

if i’m wrong, tell
me which of those ideas ( wildly popular in FL, NC, and OH) are not really policies that the candidates are endorsing?
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[Pete F.]

Trump needs a defense against Ukrainegate "that doesn't look like it was put together by a bunch of pissed off pre-schoolers," says ex-WH official. "You can't go around screaming 'fake news' and 'witch hunt' when you yourself put the evidence out there."

[spence]

Originally Posted by Jim in CT

i watched the debates spence, these are the policies endorsed by everyone on that stage except Biden, and you just torpedoed him to impeach (but not remove) trump.

if i’m wrong, tell
me which of those ideas ( wildly popular in FL, NC, and OH) are not really policies that the candidates are endorsing?
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

I'm not aware of anyone wanting unlimited abortion or totally open borders. Some want Medicare for all, some want to improve the system we have, the Green New Deal wasn't policy it is a direction to start a debate and the war on God is just a rallying cry.

[spence]

Here you go Jim, while you're following Trump around dazed and confused the honorable folks at the WaPo are helping to illustrate just how stupid and wrong your map is.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/polit...1YLgofXHSQ-QFk

[Pete F.]

Remember: Three weeks before Khashoggi's murder, the Trump Org’s business partner in Indonesia inked an agreement with a construction firm in which the Saudi government owns a large stake to work on a development that will include Trump-branded elements.

[scottw]

Originally Posted by Pete F.

Once again you present your lying argument that seeks to tar all democrats with the most extreme policies. The same can be said of the Trumplicans.

White supremacists identify with the Trumplican Party, as do neo-nazis and Anti Semites.

Trumplicans promote policies and make statements that would make birth control illegal, stop free trade, establish a state religion, kill the climate, keep black people in their place, Mexico will pay for the wall, eliminate coverage for preexisting conditions, windmills give you cancer, increase the deficit, claim rising sea levels are due to the erosion of the white cliffs of Dover and the California coastline, global warming was created by the Chinese, Al Qaeda has camps on the Mexican border, propose a 70% tax on the Patriots so that NFL competition is more fair and equal, eliminate social security, claim God wants women in the kitchen, privatize medicaid, prohibit sex for other than procreation, make yoga pants illegal, reduce voter turnout, claim vaccines cause autism and create government funded religious christian education.

Make that untrue

peto voted republican pre-trump

[Jim in CT]

Originally Posted by spence

I'm not aware of anyone wanting unlimited abortion or totally open borders. Some want Medicare for all, some want to improve the system we have, the Green New Deal wasn't policy it is a direction to start a debate and the war on God is just a rallying cry.

you’re not aware of any of them
who support late term abortion? that’s what you’re saying?
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