An Insider’s Guide to Politics
Ronald Reagan, a famous actor prior to his political career, understood that the platform of the presidency required daily communication and some deft acting. He was known as “the great communicator” and employed careful stagecraft, words, and inflection to present an image of the president to the American people and the world.
Donald Trump has taken this to the next level. Mastering the art of social media, Trump not only won the presidency but has consistently communicated his MAGA message to a growing movement across the country. A day hardly goes by when Trump doesn’t lead the news cycle. If Trump is the main character, his cabinet is the supporting cast, designed to support the narrative he is pushing while not disrupting the plot. But lately something feels off with the Trump cabinet.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has spent the past week explaining a Caribbean boat strike while also responding to a Pentagon investigation into his role in Signal Gate. FBI director Kash Patel has had to defend himself after a 115-page report of active-duty and retired FBI agents criticized his leadership. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is under scrutiny by congressional Democrats who have called for an investigation into the contracting of a DHS-funded ad campaign and her leadership’s ties to the company.
Are the supporting actors becoming the main characters in their own Washington dramas? And what happens if the Democratic Party changes the channel in 2026 by retaking Congressional power and pushing their own narratives? Most importantly, what can we expect from the lead actor, the president, if the plot goes off script?
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