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You are here: Home / White House / The Art of Making Powerful People Squirm on Camera

The Art of Making Powerful People Squirm on Camera

July 26, 2025 at 7:29 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Wall Street Journal: “One of the hallmarks of Trump’s second term has been his ability to put others on the spot, forcing them to either think quickly or react in a way that might give him an advantage or new insight into the leader. He often deploys the technique against officials who are accustomed to niceties in public (and knife-fighting behind closed doors), making diplomacy and negotiations into something closer to a reality TV show.”

“Those who have worked with Trump for years explain the behavior in various ways. Particularly when meeting with foreign leaders, Trump will absorb a briefing ahead of time, but has what one former administration official from the first term called ‘an innate feel’ for meetings. He likes to push leaders, probe for weaknesses and determine whether he can catch them off guard.”

“Trump is confident in his own ability to adapt and freestyle.”

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About Political Wire

goddard-bw-snapshotTaegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites. He also runs Political Job Hunt, Electoral Vote Map and the Political Dictionary.

Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.

Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country.

Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.

Goddard is the owner of Goddard Media LLC.

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