Campaign Memo :: Attacking the Republican Tariffs

I was told there would be no math. Courtesy, CNBC.

TO: Interested Parties

FROM: Reed Galen

RE: Messaging Strategy on Republican Tariffs

The broad-based tariffs implemented by Republican President Donald Trump this week have instigated an all-out trade war between the United States and both our allies and adversaries. At home, the shock of the tariffs has resulted in a two-day sell off in US equity markets. As of this writing, major market indices are down over 4% just today. Per experts, a bear market should be expected.

However, the Democrats’ political messaging around the tariffs is so far missing the mark.

Understand the Audience

Approximately half of Americans do not have a retirement account, meaning their immediate exposure to the tariff-prompted sell offs is minimized. This is not to say they will not feel the affects of inflation or increased costs, but those are a bit downstream of today.

Next, wagging our collective fingers in the faces of die-hard Trump voters will only reinforce their attachment to him, as they would rather give us the middle finger (again) than admit their leader is intentionally harming them.

We should not assume that long-time Democrats or liberal-leaning independents are enraged by the hail and fury coming out of Washington, DC and New York. Many of these same people are in the same leaky financial boat as their Republican neighbors.

Name the Opponent

These are REPUBLICAN tariffs. Not Trump tariffs. Not Musk tariffs. REPUBLICAN tariffs. A lot has been made of the Democratic Party’s declining popularity with Americans. We should remember that the GOP clocks in at about 36% approval. Two-thirds of the country doesn’t like them, either.

Further, in the targeted messaging we need, utilizing Trump’s name and likeness only gives Republican politicians and voters a huge wall behind which to hide. There are many who will support what’s happening simply because Trump is the leader. Many Members of Congress are happy to let Trump take the heat so long as it passes them by.

Don’t give them that option.

Fine Tune the Targeting

The immediate target profile is simple: Republican Members of Congress who represent suburban, upper income, educated voters. These are the people who might have held their nose and voted for Trump, but have no real love for him and are whose financial underpinnings and future on dependent on the American financial system.

Their voters went to college. They have kids in good public schools, private schools, are already in college. They have a “number” - that is, how much they need to earn and save to guarantee themselves a predetermined retirement age and level of comfort when they get there.

These Republicans are probably in swing districts already. If the DCCC doesn’t a) know who they are or b) can’t figure it out by EOD today, fire the whole building.

The Box Canyon

Let’s zoom out for a moment. This is a multi-pronged strategy. We want to force these Republican members into their own version of the Kobyashi Maru: The no-win situation. When they start feeling the pressure, their instincts will tell them to do one of two things: Retreat deeper into MAGA-land in the hopes that the cavalry will come to rescue you or break with Trump and risk a Musk-funded primary challenge in 2026.

These people don’t like being uncomfortable, and our main focus is to turn the screws until they squeal. For years now, Republican politicians have been consequence-free despite the insanity of Trump’s actions.

There are also downstream benefits from this action. The voters most likely feeling the immediate pain will peel away from Republicans and it will take enormous time and resources on the part of the members, their campaigns, and their allies to pull them back into the fold.

Once free of MAGA’s grip, and disdainful of blunt-force tactics to keep them inside the tent, it’s possible to convince these same disaffected Republicans to turn on the other actions taken by the Trump administration and their purile and prone Congressional allies.

Speed Kills

The time to undertake this effort is now. Given a few days, or perhaps a week, the right-wing media and political ecosystem will account for the economic pain and begin their full-throated efforts to blame the Europeans, the Mexicans, and the Chinese for all of our collective problems. Projection, as usual, will be admission.

If you hear someone say any of the following:

1. Our polling doesn’t show this…

2. We need to test this message…

3. We need to test these ads…

4. What if it backfires on us…

5. We can move that quickly…

Fire them. Immediately. Climb out of your bullshit algorithm-dominated box and get on the attack.

Or don’t, and miss yet another opportunity.