Donald Trump is facing a major public relations crisis. Experts are saying that this could ruin his chance of becoming the next President of the United States.
This month, a taped conversation that the Republican Presidential candidate had with Billy Bush 11- years ago was leaked to the media. Conveniently, it came just hours before Wikileaks was planning on releasing emails from Hillary Clinton.
On the audio tape, the billionaire made vulgar comments about women to Jeb Bush’s cousin.
The moment the Washington Post released the audio clip, it exploded all over media and social media outlets. Twitter and Facebook feeds were covered with anti-Trump posts. Republicans began to drop their support for him and Clinton supporters pounced on the story.
Hours after the story made the headlines, Trump apologized. From a public relations standpoint, that was the right thing to do. But, he needed to show more remorse. If I were his publicist, here are some of the things I would recommend.
Apologize Again
The final debate gave Donald Trump another opportunity to give a true apology on live television in front of millions of Americans. He must continue to address the issue again and do it with a strong, but sincere apology. Once that is done, he must then deflect it and address that unlike his opponent, he is not accused of lying.
Shift the Focus
People are tired of the blame game. Donald Trump needs to focus on what he and his organization have done for women in the workforce. Give solid examples of how he has supported women. Then explain what he plans to do for women, if he becomes President.
Ivanka Trump
Donald Trump’s daughter, Ivanka Trump could be his saving grace. Ivanka is an extremely strong, confident woman has a large following of female voters. Ivanka should be hitting the campaign trail with her father even harder now and speaking about why the Presidential candidate respects women. When the words come from his daughter, it means much more to the public. She should go on all of the major media outlets, including women focused outlets to share her story. She should do as many interviews as possible, write about her father and bring other women who support him in the media spotlight. I believe Ivanka is Donald’s biggest asset.
Back to the Issues
Donald Trump needs to remind the public about the key issues that the race is about. The economy, healthcare, defense, education, and immigration. That is what the American people should be concerned about. Discuss how much debt we are in, crime on the streets, people without jobs, terrorists plotting to kill Americans and people living paycheck to paycheck.
Many experts will argue that this has ruined Donald Trump’s chance of becoming the next President of the United States. But, if he is strategic in his public relations planning, he still has a chance.
Alison Podworski is the Owner of Alison May Public Relations, a P.R. firm based in the Northeastern U.S., providing a combination of traditional public relations and new media for businesses across the country. Ms. Podworski is a moderator and keynote speaker on topics including public relations, reputation management and social media, and she is a contributing writer for Thread M.B. and Women’s Prospects Magazine. Follow her on Twitter.