Presidential Communication and Character

This book traces the evolution of White House news management during America’s changing media environment over the past two decades. Comparing and contrasting the Clinton, Bush, Obama, and Trump communication strategies, it demonstrates the difficulty that all presidents have in controlling their messages despite a seemingly endless array of new media outlets and the great advantages of the office, compounded by new media’s amplification of presidential character traits. Presidential power still resides in the "power to persuade," and that task remains a steep challenge; presidential character still matters, and the media presidents now employ report on the messenger as much as the message.