By Manny Otiko
Watching Donald Trump’s trainwreck of a presidential candidacy could be seen as an exercise in how not to handle the media. Trump reminds me of the CEO types I used to deal with when I worked in public relations. They were very similar to Trump, egotistical, arrogant and often totally clueless about how politics and the media work. However, the CEOs I dealt with ran small to mid-sized companies. I can only imagine how big the ego is of a person who runs a company that employs thousands of people. I’ve often said the CEO personality doesn’t work well in the political arena and that’s why I cringe when business executives say they want to get into politics. CEOs have one goal, to make sure their company turns a profit. The only constituents they worry about are their shareholders. And judging by how quickly they lay off workers, they don’t seem to care what employees think. CEO types don’t seem to realize politics is a completely different ball game. Politics is all about compromising and dealing with several different constituencies, all of which you have to keep happy. Most politicians realize you can’t afford to annoy powerful voting blocs, like Latinos. Another major problem business executives run into is dealing with the press. CEOs are used to dealing with the business media, who are often falling over themselves to write glowing stories. The business press is full of fawning, puff pieces portraying CEOs as masters of the universe, simply because their company managed to turn a profit. However, dealing with the political press is completely different. Comparing business writers to political reporters is like comparing a house cat to a tiger. Try petting a tiger and it will bite your hand off. Political reporters are hard-nosed types who are quick to go for the jugular and they can easily see through spin and BS. Even the charismatic Bill Clinton had trouble dealing with the ravenous press during the Lewinsky scandal. It takes a certain skill set to handle the political press and deal with politics in general. People frown on long-serving politicians, but don’t you want a politician who has been on the job for a while and knows the ins and outs of the business? Politics is the only career field where having no experience is seen as a plus. I think it’s the height of arrogance to walk into a career and say, “I don’t know anything about this job, but I can do it.” Trump has barely launched his “presidential campaign” and he has already alienated Latinos, the country’s largest minority group, by making tactless comments about “diseased immigrants” and rape. Even Republicans, like Sen. Lindsey Graham, realize you can’t win the White House without the Hispanic vote. Graham once said the GOP desperately needed Latino voters because they simply “weren’t generating enough angry white guys.” And now he has managed to annoy veterans, another powerful voting bloc. His latest gaffe, about John McCain not being a war hero, seems to have alienated him from most of his own party.
It makes you wonder if there is any truth to the theory Trump is really an undercover Democratic operative, sent to destroy the GOP from the inside. (He has donated to Democrats, including Hillary Clinton, in the past.) Republican leaders are already worried his comments will drive Latinos away from the party. Republican National Chair Reince Priebus reportedly called Trump and told him to tone down his act. I find it tiresome I even have to write about Trump. He has never contested for any elected office. And he usually trots out a supposed presidential campaign whenever he has a TV show or book to promote. Running for president is great publicity, the buffoonish Herman Cain proved that in 2012. His campaign was largely a joke, but it increased his book sales, made him a household name and got him a TV deal. Like Trump, Cain also topped a GOP poll, which only proves how worthless polls are. However, Trump’s comments about Latinos are getting him a lot of negative PR. He has already lost deals with Macy’s, Univision, NASCAR, Ora TV and NBC. VICE estimates Trump’s media gaffes cost him about $78.5 million. Trump could have avoided this is if he had hired a PR manager who specialized in campaign messaging. He would have taught him how to handle the media and avoid controversial subjects. Of course, Trump, with his huge ego, thought he could handle the media by himself, and we’ve seen how well that has turned out. He still insists he can win the Latino vote. As FOX News panelist Jonathan Hoenig said, “He’s not just a fool, but he’s a fraud… Negotiate with Mexico? He can’t even negotiate with Macy’s!” The scary thing is some people actually take Trump, a billionaire carnival barker, seriously. That thought is even more disturbing than Trump’s comb over.
It makes you wonder if there is any truth to the theory Trump is really an undercover Democratic operative, sent to destroy the GOP from the inside. (He has donated to Democrats, including Hillary Clinton, in the past.) Republican leaders are already worried his comments will drive Latinos away from the party. Republican National Chair Reince Priebus reportedly called Trump and told him to tone down his act. I find it tiresome I even have to write about Trump. He has never contested for any elected office. And he usually trots out a supposed presidential campaign whenever he has a TV show or book to promote. Running for president is great publicity, the buffoonish Herman Cain proved that in 2012. His campaign was largely a joke, but it increased his book sales, made him a household name and got him a TV deal. Like Trump, Cain also topped a GOP poll, which only proves how worthless polls are. However, Trump’s comments about Latinos are getting him a lot of negative PR. He has already lost deals with Macy’s, Univision, NASCAR, Ora TV and NBC. VICE estimates Trump’s media gaffes cost him about $78.5 million. Trump could have avoided this is if he had hired a PR manager who specialized in campaign messaging. He would have taught him how to handle the media and avoid controversial subjects. Of course, Trump, with his huge ego, thought he could handle the media by himself, and we’ve seen how well that has turned out. He still insists he can win the Latino vote. As FOX News panelist Jonathan Hoenig said, “He’s not just a fool, but he’s a fraud… Negotiate with Mexico? He can’t even negotiate with Macy’s!” The scary thing is some people actually take Trump, a billionaire carnival barker, seriously. That thought is even more disturbing than Trump’s comb over.
