Sweeping changes are coming out of D.C. at an unprecedented pace, signaling four years of seismic shifts ahead that will require organizations to stay agile.?
In this edition, we explore the potential impact of tariffs on your organization and best practices to communicate with clarity about trade policy. We’re also providing an update on the latest in diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.
Have a specific question or topic you’d like us to cover? A comment on something we’ve written? We welcome the conversation. Email us at [email protected].
1. Crafting clear messaging for tariff policy changes
President Trump’s trade policies are off to an uneven start. The 10% tariff on Chinese goods went into effect on Tuesday, prompting Beijing to declare several retaliatory tariffs. However, the proposed 25% tariffs on Canadian and Mexican goods are each on hold for 30 days as Trump extracts concessions from the two countries related to border security and efforts to curb fentanyl trafficking.??
The big picture: Tariff reverberations will be felt across the board, beyond only those working directly within the targeted import/export sectors.?
- If tariffs go into effect as initially proposed, the Tax Foundation estimates they would effectively tax U.S. households an additional $830 this year, while experts predict the average household would lose more than $1,000 in purchasing power.?
- On an organizational level, tariffs could increase costs, disrupt supply chains, and strain stakeholder relationships, requiring strategic adjustments to mitigate the effects.?
Go deeper: A recent survey found 82% of executives said the new tariffs are prompting strategic adjustments, while 72% acknowledge the need to adjust supply chain pricing strategies to navigate the volatility.
Balancing diverse audiences:?Communications must reach a range of audiences – including policymakers, members, and consumers – with differing attitudes toward the efficacy of tariffs, the rationale of their imposition, and the ability to withstand their impacts.
- Trade and industry bodies are motivated to maintain a positive working relationship with the Trump administration, despite the reported potential negative impacts of tariffs.
- Members of trade associations and industry bodies have rationale to oppose tariffs, which threaten to increase costs and curtail exports.
- Consumers are inundated with mixed messages on tariffs, leading to confusion, apprehension, and sometimes panic.
- “Manufacturers understand the need to deal with any sort of crisis that involves illicit drugs crossing our border, and we hope the three countries can come together quickly to confront this challenge. At the same time, protecting manufacturing gains that have come from our strong North American partnership is vital.” – Jay Timmons, President & CEO, National Association of Manufacturers
- “The plastics industry recognizes the importance of securing our borders and combating illegal drug trafficking to protect American communities. A strong and secure nation is fundamental to economic growth and industrial stability. PLASTICS is concerned about the new tariffs and their impact on U.S. plastics manufacturing and jobs. While we understand President Trump’s rationale, a blanket tariff policy could have significant economic consequences, disrupting the movement of essential machines, products, and materials that keep American manufacturers running.” – Matt Seaholm, President & CEO, Plastics Industry Association
- “America can compete by safeguarding access to low-cost, essential imported inputs and securing fair, competitive access to key customer markets around the world. ACC wants to work constructively with the Administration to advance a trade agenda that addresses genuine challenges to our supply chain resiliency. Together, we can help stop circumvention of tariff protections and advantage U.S. based production and exports by expanding science-based regulatory approaches that will continue to grow our competitiveness while also ensuring advantage to trading with trusted partners.” – American Chemistry Council
2. The ever-changing landscape for diversity, equity, and inclusion
Leading up to the election, we covered the divisiveness around diversity, equity, and inclusion. A few weeks into Trump’s second term, the efforts to dismantle these initiatives have accelerated significantly.
Catch up: Trump’s executive order terminated diversity, equity, and inclusion programs in the federal workforce, placed staff on leave, and banned “special observances” like Black History Month, a move seemingly at odds with his proclamation announcing “February 2025 as National Black History Month.”
The new executive order also aims to curtail diversity, equity, and inclusion in the private sector, stating that federal agencies will identify “up to nine potential civil compliance investigations” of publicly traded corporations, nonprofits, and universities, among others.?
How the investigations will be chosen remains unclear. “Until those nine are announced, it’s going to cause others to be risk-averse,” Kenji Yoshino, a constitutional lawyer at NYU and advisor to Fortune 500 companies, told the New York Times.
- Meta, Aldi, Google, McDonald’s, Target and other companies have scaled back or adjusted diversity efforts. Target, for instance, ended its program for minority-owned products. NPR today reported that GM, Pepsi, and Disney removed specific references from their investor reports.
- Meanwhile, Costco, Apple, Netflix, e.l.f. Beauty, Pinterest, Microsoft, and JPMorgan have reaffirmed their diversity commitments.
- Some organizations are taking a middle ground by "reframing" diversity initiatives, often replacing "diversity" with terms like "inclusivity" and "belonging.”
What’s next: Organizations can take steps now to address the shifting environment.
- Assess and adapt: Review programs, align with regulations, and adjust focus or language to reflect evolving priorities while preserving the organization’s core values.
- Stakeholder engagement: Prioritize audience needs and maintain open channels of communication with employees, shareholders, and communities to understand their perspectives and concerns.
- Monitoring and flexibility: Stay informed about ongoing policy changes and be prepared to pivot strategies as needed.?
3. Upcoming events on our radar
Axios What's Next Summit (March 25) will explore how government, business, and technology operate and succeed in a shifting landscape shaped by a new administration and rapid advances in AI.?
Semafor’s 2025 World Economy Summit (April 23-25) bills itself as the largest gathering of Fortune 500 leaders in the U.S. Co-hosted by David Rubenstein, Ken Griffin, Penny Pritzker, and Henry Kravis, the event will explore solutions to expand the global economy while highlighting actionable insights on key challenges.
4. Media news + moves
Media news
- LinkedIn’s video push: The platform has been actively engaging video creators, and it's paying off. Short-form video is the fastest growing content type, as more brands see LinkedIn as a valuable space for marketing investment. Meanwhile, the platform recently improved its advertising attribution models.
- News for CEOs: The Wall Street Journal launched its CEO brief, a daily newsletter led by Alan Murray that hit inboxes for the first time this week. Likewise, Semafor launched The CEO Signal, an invitation-only weekly newsletter for leaders of companies with revenue of $500 million+.
- Reuters’ Middle East expansion: The news organization is launching an Arabic website aimed at readers in the Gulf. It is also expanding its global leadership summit, Reuters NEXT, to Abu Dhabi in October.
- White House welcomes “new media”: In her first briefing as press secretary, Karoline Leavitt invited nontraditional media to apply for coveted White House press credentials. “We welcome independent journalists, podcasters, social media influencers, and content creators to apply for credentials to cover this White House,” she said. As we wrote last month, 2025 is the year of the newsfluencer.
- Trump floats TikTok solution: President Trump signed an executive order this week to establish a U.S. sovereign wealth fund, suggesting it could eventually purchase the embattled platform.
- And, another newsletter: Veteran NYC journalists Lachlan Cartwright and Ravi Somaiya are launching Breaker, a weekly newsletter and podcast spotlighting power and culture in downtown Manhattan through a media lens.?
Media moves
- CNN Business hired Lisa Eadicicco as its technology editor.
- The NYT’s Jess Testa is transitioning to the business desk to cover media.
- Alex Konrad is leaving his position as senior editor at Forbes to “build something new.”
- CNN anchor Jim Acosta left the news network after nearly 20 years following its decision to move his time slot from 10 a.m. to midnight. Acosta has since launched a Substack, The Jim Acosta Show, which has already garnered more than 120,000 subscribers.
- Bloomberg hired Alex Chapman as an Asia-Pacific digital editor.
- MarketWatch tech editor and San Francisco bureau chief, Jeremy Owens, is leaving the news organization in search of a new opportunity.
- Bloomberg News reporter Jessica Nix is joining the publication’s health team.
- The Wall Street Journal Leadership Institute hired Gwendolyn Bounds as senior vice president and head of content.
- Newsday named Leema Thomas deputy assistant managing editor for business coverage.
