We were treated to an early indicator of the sort of randomness we can expect from a second Trump presidency in the US at the weekend as both Donald, then wife Melania Trump launched their own memecoins on the eve of his second inauguration, making Trump one of the richest men in the world, at least on paper, as the $TRUMP coin soared to a $10bn+ market valuation, almost eightfold, ahead of the ceremony.
The $MELANIA coin didn’t reach quite such highs, but with a $1bn+ valuation on Sunday she can probably afford some new curtains for the Whitehouse if the previous president’s style doesn’t sit well with her too.
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So what did some of our regional media, tech and digital pros with one eye on events across the pond have to say about what we can expect for the next four years?
Staying in the big tech sphere, Ray Saddiq, head of marketing at Rise at Seven, which has an office in New York as well as its bases in Manchester and Sheffield, took to LinkedIn to highlight Trump’s likely reprieve for the US TikTok ban as an early “victory” for his presidency. At the weekend the banned app updated its on-screen message in the US with a fawning: “We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office.”
“Considering the original message on the app has now changed to mention Trump, it gives me hope that TikTok will be back and be chalked up as an early victory by his office,” wrote Saddiq.
It’s worth noting that it was actually Trump himself, during his first term in office, that got the ball rolling with the TikTok ban, a minor detail that didn’t escape the notice of some less-than-complimentary commenters on this early “victory” against, err, himself.
Still with tech, Rob Keery, CMO of Manchester, Brighton and London-based agency Anything is Possible was keeping an eye on chip production: “I’m really interested in seeing if Trump maintains Biden’s categories of ‘who’s in and who’s out’ to receive preferential access to US chip production,” he said. “Leaving China on the lowest tier incentivises them to develop greater capacity for themselves, and we saw how that worked for the superconductors.
“I suspect Trump will use these categories as leverage in certain important discussions. Putting Russia into a higher tier could be a card to play in the Ukraine negotiations…”
Future PR founder Nina Sawetz, something of an expert in the personal branding sphere, predicted a change in attitude towards the media, and the presidential approach to communications, compared to previous administrations: “Like him or not, Trump has a unique talent for using language and psychology to his advantage.
“One of his key strategies, ad baculum (Latin for “threats or intimidation”), shows how he uses words not just to make a point, but to dominate and discredit” she wrote on LinkedIn.
“So while most politicians dodge tough questions, Trump goes on the offensive, often insulting the interviewer:
***TRUMP: “What a stupid question. But I watch you a lot. You ask a lot of stupid questions.”***
“It’s a calculated move to send a signal to the audience – reinforce distrust in the media and strengthen his authority.
“And by constantly calling reporters stupid or fake news, he creates a narrative where he is the only reliable source of truth.And that’s incredibly powerful.”
Joe Toal, senior social media account director at The PHA Group, which last year opened its first US agency in Boston, agreed that the media would be a key friction point for Trump MkII: “To say that we’re in for an unpredictable four years would be a huge understatement, but we seem to be entering an era of unprecedented Presidential power and a man that is determined to yield it,” he told us.
“With Elon Musk by his side, and many media and social media owners bending the knee, Trump’s second term will raise further questions around free speech, censorship and misinformation on social – we’re already seeing the likes of Meta loosen its stance towards tackling fact-checking. My concern is that our ability to determine fact from fiction in already murky social waters will become almost impossible by the end of Trump’s second term.”
Talking of free speech, it’s interesting to note that all of the big global players in the media, tech and digital world we approached for comment as Trump made his way to the Capitol Rotunda for the first indoor inauguration in almost half a century declined to pass comment on what we might expect for the industry in the UK from a second four years of Trump.
We couldn’t possibly comment on what caused the apparent reticence to pass opinion, but it’s certainly interesting that as a president so fond of defending free speech, and with trusty “free speech absolutist” Elon Musk by his side, prepares to take office, so many people had nothing to say.
