Last week, I was fortunate enough to be among the ‘fake news’ press pool covering the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in National Harbor, Maryland.
As always, the American Conservative Union put on an incredible event and, with speakers including Vice President Pence and President Trump, this was undoubtedly the most high-energy CPAC in years. Since a common refrain from the event was to avoid ‘complacency’ in the aftermath of historic victories in 2016, I am sure the enthusiasm at the convention was a welcome sight for many.
The most important moment from the conference, in my opinion, came during President Trump’s speech when he discussed the inside-baseball of passing tax cuts. During his remarks, President Trump recounted how some individuals working on the tax bill wanted to call it ‘The Tax Reform Act.’ Trump responded to them with feedback such as “don’t use the word reform,” “just talk about tax cuts, people don’t know what reform means,” and “reform could mean you’re going to pay more tax!”
As a naturally brilliant salesman, President Trump was clearly frustrated by the awful branding attempts made by the so-called political experts. As he stated during his speech, “No wonder for 45 years nothing’s been passed!” This was a clear example of the President proving he has greater political instincts than the D.C. consulting class — something he has proven time and time again.
As millions of Americans receive higher wages, bonuses, and dividend increases this month as a result of Trump’s tax cuts, we should be thankful that President Trump went with his gut in giving us “The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.” Trump’s intuition was absolutely correct in keeping the messaging simple and the emphasis on tax cuts. Branding and messaging are important in politics — we were fortunate to have the author of “The Art of The Deal” crafting this legislation.
President Trump’s speech at CPAC was easily the highlight of the conference. If you haven’t had a chance to hear the backstory behind the branding of his tax cuts, you can watch his speech below:
Photo credit: Screenshot via YouTube
