Behind the Curtain: The art of persuading Trump
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President Trump speaks to the media on Sunday before boarding Air Force One in Morristown, N.J. Photo: Nathan Howard/Reuters
President Trump's improvisational and unpredictable leadership style has forced Cabinet officials, advisers and friends to develop a playbook to scuttle ideas they consider dumb, dangerous or undoable.
Why it matters: White House aides, Trump's Cabinet and top CEOs often resort to indirect tricks and techniques to sway "the boss."
The current trade fight captures this reality: Lots of top administration officials have doubts about Trump's insistence on aggressive, across-the-board tariffs. Almost all CEOs privately say the overall idea, and the way it was implemented, are dumb, delusional and destructive.
- They believe America was legitimately on the edge of a Golden Age if Trump used his victory to lower taxes, cut regulations, and smartly reset global trade and investment to America's benefit.
- They saw explosive growth unfolding this year, absent an unexpected shock.
Trump is the shock they feared. His improvisational strategy and sky-high tariffs spooked almost every aspect of the global economy.
- It's now hard to reverse, especially in a timely enough manner to dull economic pain.
Inside the White House, officials employ a daily dance of trying to ease, gently nudge and flatter Trump into shifting his worldview.
- Make no mistake (and lots of people do): Trump believes as fervently in tariffs and his approach as he does in any topic he's ever pursued.
- His team has all bought in on the idea of using more tariffs. But the details of how to employ them, and when, vary widely.
So the dance begins, with several specific moves:
- The Block: Trump is notorious for reacting impulsively to the last thing he heard. So, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and those aligned with his view of winding down the trade war work hard to get alone time with Trump, away from pro-tariff warriors like Peter Navarro. Sometimes, they track physical locations of rivals to pounce on meetings with Trump.
- The Scare: Trump is very hard to persuade after winning two elections and surviving being shot. His self-confidence and self-certainty are soaring. But he's not fully impervious to fear. That's why top officials wanted him to hear dire economic warnings from Walmart, Target and Home Depot last week — or Jamie Dimon's forecast of a potential meltdown three weeks ago. Trump's walk-back on firing Fed chair Jay Powell showed this.
- The Glorification: This is increasingly common in trying to move Trump. Make a different idea — "We're trying to isolate China!" or "Negotiate genius deals!" — sound like it's both brilliant and Trump's. This requires using Trumpian language to make the ideas feel fresh, wise — and definitely not a capitulation.
- The Nudge: This is next-level Trump persuasion. Trump hates being cornered — forced to compromise or surrender. So aides delicately, slowly use a combination of data points, friends, and CEOs Trump admires, to subtly and slowly move him.
- The TV: This is an oldie but goodie for a reason — it works. Get respected CEOs on the right shows saying the right things, knowing Trump will either be watching or shown a clip. It's why so much tariff news is made on Fox News, often with Fox Business anchor Maria Bartiromo on her "Mornings with Maria" show.
- The Level-Set: This is where Trump receives blunt advice, but he needs to be ready for it. Trump hit the 90-day tariff pause after the stock and bond markets revolted and after Vice President Vance and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles had multiple meetings with him. Trump also began talking about lowering the sky-high 145% tariffs on China when Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told him that the U.S. will collect zero tariff revenue if there isn't trade with China at all.
Behind the scenes: Both inside and outside the White House, Trump advisers bristle at the notion that he doesn't receive blunt advice. They credit Wiles with creating an information environment where the president doesn't feel managed or limited. So she has packed Trump's schedule with numerous meetings with CEOs, car companies and major retailers who can share their opinion.
- "She doesn't claim to have all the answers, but she orchestrates one of the most complex information flows with tremendous strategy and effectiveness," an adviser texts Axios' Marc Caputo.
- "Her goal is to ensure Trump is presented unvarnished truths so HE can make the decision. She doesn't manipulate the process to effectuate a decision. It's why he trusts her and provides her the leeway to execute."
But the adviser said some CEOs talk tough and then get wobbly when in the White House:
- "She recognizes that Trump alone, let alone Trump behind the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office, is a tremendously intimidating presence and even the most accomplished CEOs wither in front of him."
Axios' Marc Caputo contributed reporting.
