I really hope Republicans are taking notes right now, because President Donald Trump is writing a really solid playbook.
My colleague, Rusty Weiss, reported on Monday that people woke up to find various signs on the White House lawn detailing criminals that were arrested and deported like ICE, including their picture, and what they did:
Each sign shows mugshots of individuals who are described as "illegal aliens" and have the word "ARRESTED" in bold letters above the images.
Their crimes are also listed, with these illegals representing some of the worst of the worst who have been taken off the streets by President Trump and his administration.
"Assault with a gun and rape," reads one sign, while others show those arrested for "murder."
Good Morning from The White House! pic.twitter.com/1fhjzMU2gR
— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) April 28, 2025
It's a really great move, and for two reasons.
The first is obvious. Trump is showing that he's keeping his promises and ridding America of an element that has rested too long within it. It's one that has cost too many American lives and continues to be a massive problem for us economically. Spiking the football that he's gotten these people out is only going to please the people more, and keep his approval rating high.
Basic political maneuvering. Show your results in a way that gets people's attention.
But then there's the other benefit, and it's one that Trump is something of a master of when it comes to fighting political battles in the public eye. He makes his enemies act on his terms.
The legacy media is his constant opponent. When he does anything, he knows that the media will do its best to twist it or straight-up lie about it in order to turn public opinion against him. Normally, the media has the advantage, because they don't have to do much but wait until Trump does something, then just apply their own narrative to it in order to define how it's perceived by the public.
Trump knows how to play that game, and so he effectively baits the media to react by seeing to it that the thing they have to react to is hard to do safely.
To take the lawn signs as an example, Trump made it very clear that the people on these signs were absolute villains that he rid the U.S. of, and then looked at the media and dared them to say that this was a bad thing to do.
To be sure, the media did try. MSNBC reported on Trump's signs by blurring out the faces of the rapists, murderers, and traffickers.
Hi @MSNBC ! Why did you blur out the faces of these criminal illegals and their crimes? Don't we as Americans deserve the transparency the Trump admin is trying so hard to give us? pic.twitter.com/x3YU6ugTlW
— Sara Rose 🇺🇸🌹 (@saras76) April 28, 2025
MSNBC wasn't particularly happy about it, as you can see them reporting that they were positioned in such a way that the press would have to get them in view when doing any reporting or interviewing.
He's effectively making the press that hates him sing his own praises while they lambast and denigrate him. Understand that he just turned his enemy's greatest weapon against them with the strategic placement of some cardboard.
Trump is putting on a show, and it's one that Americans are watching, whether intentionally or not. They're getting the message delivered to them that he's doing the things he was voted in to do, and that their confidence in him should remain high.
While it may seem like a silly move to some, or maybe even a gimmick, it's not. This is a well-executed PR maneuver that has media outlets stressing.
Again, Republicans should take note of how Trump is doing all this. His antics are saving the Republic.
