Panic Responsibly
If the first 100 days of the Trump Administration has left your head spinning, you’re not alone. The biggest debates in Washington today aren’t just about policy. They’re about what’s real, what’s lasting, and what to respond to when everything feels like it’s changing at once.
No industry, no business, and no issue has been left untouched by President Trump’s executive actions, and there’s no sign the Administration will slow down. That means neither can your public affairs team. The good news? No CEO or boardroom is questioning the importance of a strong public affairs team. The bad news? It’s harder than ever to have the right answers when the C-suite calls.
If that call comes in a panic, adopt the mantra of certified Friend of Delve Katie Harbath to “panic responsibly” (there’s even merch!). To do so requires a new public affairs playbook.
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Here’s what you need to know to ensure you don’t just keep the pace but set it.
“Swift and Relentless”
The first 100 days of President Trump’s second term stand in marked contrast to his first term. From record numbers of Executive Orders to rapid political appointments, the new administration is staffed, aligned, and executing.
“Swift and relentless” were the apt adjectives President Trump used to describe his first 100 days of policymaking. He signed 141 Executive Orders, unyielding in their breadth and depth of impact. They span numerous policy areas and assert federal authority across jurisdictions while proposing large revisions of federal departments and a reshaping of the broader federal workforce.
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The response to Trump’s orders was equally swift: 217 lawsuits have already been filed. The Administration’s legal creativity—from the Alien Enemy Act to the use of national security as a justification for tariffs on foreign filmmaking—will force public affairs pros to keep as close an eye on the courtroom as the White House briefing room.
Policy decisions are being made—and enforced—at a breakneck speed, with fewer traditional chokepoints or procedural hurdles. For public affairs professionals, this rapid pace makes it harder to distinguish meaningful shifts from temporary turbulence — but misreading either can have real consequences. The public affairs playbook that worked before no longer applies.
Empty Government, Second Term Edition
At this point in Trump’s first term public affairs professionals struggled with what we at the time dubbed the “Empty Government” in which far too many political appointments were unfilled. Today, the political appointees may be the only staff left in an office as the Administration rapidly restructures and lays off the federal bureaucracy.
Yet knowing the President’s political appointees may not solve your people problem. In this Administration, as agencies are dismantled or weakened, policymaking is concentrated in the Executive Branch while execution increasingly relies on task forces and new special government employees with broad remits. At the same time, the White House is giving special access to conservative influencers and even putting them in key policy forums where they may shape the conversation. Organizations focused solely on formal agency leadership structures risk missing where real influence is now exercised.
The result is the same as eight years ago. Many public affairs professionals report feeling frozen, uncertain how to navigate this new power map: who the real decision-makers are, who to engage to influence outcomes, and how agency missions, priorities, and personnel are shifting. It’s essential to move smart, anticipate blind spots, and find new pathways to influence before it’s too late.
This Too Shall Pass?
It’s a frequent Washington occurrence to declare a total realignment when a new wave of power hits the shores of the Potomac. Yet many moments that feel like a new trajectory end up being a mere tributary.
Today, many public affairs professionals are grappling with this question: how much of what’s unfolding under President Trump will remain when his administration ends?
It’s easy — and tempting — to dismiss new tariffs, DOGE, personnel turnover, and structural changes as temporary disruptions. But some of these changes may be less reversible than imagined: supply chains will be dismantled. When DOGE sunsets, its access will be passed to other Trump officials. Dismissed personnel will retire.
Public affairs professionals can no longer rely on precedent to predict permanence. Monitoring which policies become embedded — and would require major unwinding — and tracking personnel placements and movements is critical to determining what’s here to stay and what’s a passing fad. It’s also key to know what may have cross-partisan support.
In short, don’t just ask whether today’s changes will pass. Prepare as if they won’t — while staying nimble enough to adjust if they do.
What Now? Your Playbook to Panic Responsibly
In today’s Washington, the old playbooks no longer work. To keep pace with rapid policymaking and shifting power, public affairs teams need a new approach—driven by intelligence, guided by strategy, and built for speed.
- Track Real Power, Not Just Titles: Delve maps where decisions are actually being made—from task forces to outside influencers—so you engage the right players before others even spot them.
- Focus on Signals, Not Static: With nonstop noise, relevance is everything. Delve Deep Learning’s AI surfaces what matters—and why—so your team spends less time sorting and more time acting.
- Move from Insight to Action: Data without execution is a dead end. Delve turns intelligence into targeted strategy—whether shaping engagement, messaging, or identifying legal risk.
The pace of change isn’t slowing, but with the right intelligence tools, you don’t have to chase it. Delve can help your public affairs team panic responsibly, so you can move faster, see further, and lead with clarity.