3 Communication Shifts I Spotted from Trump's Second Inauguration (And Why They Matter)
Oh, and btw, welcome to my new Substack! Thrilled to have you here.
For those joining me for the first time, I'm Molly McPherson, host of The PR Breakdown podcast. In this space, I'll - well - break down the biggest moments in public relations and public discourse (that’s the fickle “internet”) to understand the real story behind the headlines.
I am writing to you from NYC. I am in town to tape an interview with ABC News about the Blake Lively/Justin Baldoni snafu. What ABC Correspondent Juju Chang will hear me say later this morning is that Blake Lively’s husband, Ryan Reynolds, is one of the main characters in this drama.
More on that interview in future posts.
Despite the cold temps, I managed to get a ‘walk and talk’ online with thoughts on a trending rumor - an imminent divorce for the Obamas. I'm not buying it until I see a verified source on the record.
On the PR Breakdown podcast this week, I dove right into Trump's second inauguration and what his address tells us about the future of communication:
The Power of Controlled Environments
Why move an inauguration into the Capitol Rotunda? It wasn’t just about avoiding winter weather. By tightening the space, Trump’s team controlled the camera angles, the audience, and the hair. No winter wind meant Trump’s hair was locked in place. Looking ahead, expect more politicians and newsmakers to feel free to reimagine the status-quo environments so they can keep a lid on unpredictable moments.Truth vs. Emotional Resonance
We heard some questionable claims about immigration and the Panama Canal in that speech. It begs the question: how do we, as communicators, stay ethical when a leader’s need for hyperbole seems to outshine accuracy? It’s one thing to check facts, but another to ask why certain stories hit people in their gut, whether they’re true or not. Where does our sense of responsibility fit into that?Multi-Channel Narrative Control
Between Melania’s instantly memed hat (Hamburgler, Spy vs. Spy, Carmen Sandiego) and Carrie Underwood’s performance hiccups, every snippet of the inauguration spun out into its own saga online.
Communicators should advocate for multiple storylines for multiple stakeholders. In our hyper-connected world, planning just one narrative is not enough. A crisis that starts on TikTok can likely end up on the NYTimes front page—two mediums, two different types of audiences. The most-valued communicators in 2025 are the ones who anticipate all the side stories (the “unplanned” gets traction fast). It’s like hosting a dinner party where every side conversation can become a viral TikTok, a reel, or a trending hashtag.
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