TJ Walker breaks down a New York Times report on Trump's Secretary of State choice between Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney, arguing that physical appearance and being camera-ready are influencing the decision. He makes the case that grooming matters for anyone in a public-facing role.
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Above the fold story in today's New York Times about ongoing battle within the Trump White House or the the forming stages of the Trump White House. The battle is between forces who want Rudy Giuliani, the former New York City mayor, to be the next Secretary of State, versus those who want Mitt Romney, the former GOP nominee from 2012. Now here's the thing that really caught my eye from a media image and communication standpoint, because this is the second, the second time it's happened in just a few days. Anonymous sources within the Trump camp are saying that he is leaning towards selecting Mitt Romney, even though Mitt Romney called him a fraud and a phony during the campaign because he is camera ready for the international stage, he's basically saying that Mitt Romney looks like a Secretary of State is good looking. Now, this happened over the weekend as well. It struck many observers as something people sort of think about in the back of their mind but don't overtly say, and now we have twice in just a few days the Trump administration publicly admitting that how somebody looks is going to have a big impact on whether they get the job. Now this is obviously not very good news to someone like Rudy Giuliani, who, while he was considered by many to be a successful mayor of New York City, does not quite have the beautiful locks that say Mitt Romney does. Mitt Romney is extraordinarily distinguished looking. I don't care what your politics are, but for a man who's a few Months shy of 70, Mitt Romney is about as good looking as you could get. Rudy Giuliani, not so much. Now, how important is it for someone to look like a secretary of state or to be classically good looking? Donald Trump is by all accounts someone who does place a lot of importance on looks, whether it's the gold plating on everything in Trump Tower to wanting to personally select the winners of his Miss Universe contest. He has been criticized in the past for being obsessive about women's looks. It turns out he cares just as much about men's looks. Is this going to hurt him with his core supporters, with his base? I don't know. Many of them will be upset if Rudy Giuliani, who was an early, strong, forceful supporter of Donald Trump, is pushed to the side in favor of Mitt Romney, who was a critic, an opponent of Donald Trump, and an acoustic critic. Donald Trump, some would say to his credit, is willing to let bygones be bygones, reach out to former opponents. That's typically viewed as a good thing. But if it's if the deciding factor is someone being good looking when it comes to important matters of state, war and peace, I don't think he'll initially get that much criticism from his opponents. If the results are less than ideal, then all decisions like this will be criticized. What's the lesson for the rest of us? I think for those who aspire to high level positions in politics and positions in the spotlight, you do have to take into account physical appearance. Why I bothered to put a little bit of makeup on today and shave nicely for you. Not that I'm expecting a post in the Trump administration. Also why I've got to hit the gym and work off some of those pounds from all the eating yesterday.
