Wednesday, July 12, 2017

Woes for Trump, Jr.

It is a classic public relations move and one I have advised clients to take from time to time. Whenever bad or negative information is about to be made public, the move for the focus of that potentially harmful disclosure is to release the material first. This is often referred to as "getting out ahead of the story." By releasing negative information without being forced to, one seeks to give the public the impression they have nothing to hide. It is a way to neutralize or minimize whatever impact the bad news might otherwise have. Does such a strategy always work? No. But it does often help one regain control of an unwanted situation.

As I write this, a day ago Donald Trump, Jr. released negative emails about himself that were about to be released by the Washington Post and other national media outlets. While I understand the thinking behind Trump's decision, I also recognize the riskiness of such a decision. It is very possible it may actually make matters worse for the President's son. His decision may actually be one of those times when being proactive in this way does not work. Young Trump's classic PR move may escalate or increase the amount of negative press he had been receiving up to this point. In other words, it may add fuel to the fire rather than extinguish that flame.

Given that, what should his next move be? If asked, my advice would be for him to be as cooperative with the authorities who are currently investigating him  as he can. Should he do media interviews? Maybe. But if he does, then it needs to be with members of the press viewed as not being sympathetic to Trump, Jr. and his father. If one wants to be viewed as being open and transparent, then they need to be willing to face tough interviews. Whether he takes that remains to be seen. My guess is he will not be doing that simply because that is not a strategy the Trump family has taken up till now. To appear strong, sometimes one needs to put themselves in a vulnerable position.

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