“It won’t interfere with the current building. It’ll be near it but not touching it,” said President Trump about the construction of a 90,000-square-foot ballroom on the site of the now demolished East Wing of the White House. Memories are long, and while plans change, it’s best not to make claims too early in the process, or it will come back to haunt you. The president capped off his response with the claim that the project would “…pay total respect to the existing building, which I’m the biggest fan of.” Not sure he’s the biggest fan anymore.

NPR, “Trump plows ahead with East Wing demolition despite calls for caution” October 23, 2025

Forbes, “JUST IN: President Trump Takes Multiple Questions From Reporters At White House Event” July 31, 2025

“I’m not dying,” said Dolly Parton in a humorous video posted in response to her sister’s plea for prayers. While Dolly denied a negative, it’s her sister’s words that really mattered in this saga. Frieda Parton took to social media, asking her followers to pray for Dolly following a recent postponement of Dolly’s Las Vegas residency shows because of supposed “health concerns.” In true internet fashion, speculations and rumors stirred the pot of conspiracy discourse. Dolly cleared the air with her video, exclaiming, “Do I look sick to you? I’m working hard here!”

The New York Times, “‘I’m Not Dying’: Dolly Parton Assures Fans Amid Concerns About Her Health” October 8, 2025

“First of all, it’s not bribes,” said billionaire John Catsimatidis regarding his attempt to get Curtis Sliwa to drop out of the New York City mayoral race. Catsimatidis, a Republican who launched his own mayoral campaign in 2013, cited concerns “that Sliwa’s continued candidacy could split the vote and inadvertently help another candidate.” Regardless, Sliwa didn’t give into the pressure, bribe or no bribe.

Fox News, “NYC billionaire Catsimatidis calls on Curtis Sliwa to drop NYC mayoral campaign” October 20, 2025

What happens when your ad campaign leads with the denial of a negative in virtually all its ads? It’s too soon to tell, but that is the exact route spokesperson Serena Williams took in her ad campaign for Ro, a telehealth company with a focus on cosmetic treatments. “GLP-1s aren’t a shortcut,” seems to serve as the official headline for Williams’ Ro ads. An interesting choice for a campaign that leads with denying the negative in multiple ways and via all platforms. In fact, the statements kept coming. In this piece in Women’s Health, Williams claimed that “being on a GLP-1 doesn’t take away from who I am as a professional athlete,” as well as, “it’s not a shortcut. It’s not a copout.” Given Williams’ star power and the vulnerability of her story about the difficulty of weight loss after having two children, we’re sure this approach won’t be a deal-breaker. We just recommend framing responses positively, and that’s especially true regarding those memorable taglines.

Women’s Health, “Serena Williams Says Being On A GLP-1 ‘Doesn’t Take Away From Who I Am As A Professional Athlete’” August 21, 2025

“How about we all come together and say, ‘Let’s stop murders?’ How about we all come together and say, ‘Let’s stop rape?’ How about we all come together and say, ‘Let’s stop attacking pedophiles?’,” said Texas Senator Ted Cruz when agreeing with Senator Cory Booker that there should be bipartisan agreement. It was a flub that was too funny not to share.

New York Post, “Ted Cruz Goes Viral for this Embarrassing Flub” October 1, 2025

Celebrities, they’re just like us, right? Not Kristen Bell, who refused to acknowledge a bizarre anniversary tribute to her husband Dax Shepard. “Happy 12th wedding anniversary to the man who once said to me: ‘I would never kill you. A lot of men have killed their wives at a certain point. Even though I’m heavily incentivized to kill you, I never would.’ ❤️,” wrote Bell. Critics rightfully expressed their disappointment with Bell’s post, especially since October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. She even attempted to silence the critics by turning off her social media comments, but the damage was done. This isn’t a reputational destroyer, but it is tone deaf and disturbing to say the least.

Page Six, “Celebrity News Kristen Bell refusing to apologize over ‘tone-deaf’ anniversary post to husband Dax Shepard: report” October 26, 2025

“I can tell you right now, Scott Woodward is not selecting the next coach,” said Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry. The issue? Without a current president in place at LSU, followed by athletic director Scott Woodward’s departure, everyone is speculating who will choose the new head coach to replace Brian Kelly. Landry continued, “Hell, I’ll let Donald Trump select it before I let him do it.” Critics and sports fans agree that this move by the governor may come back to bite LSU in a major way. If the governor is this involved in LSU football, top coaches are more likely to steer clear of the complicated politics that will clearly come with an already high-pressure position.

The Athletic, “LSU was the coaching carousel’s best job. Then Gov. Jeff Landry grabbed the mic” October 30, 2025

The Athletic, “LSU parts ways with AD Scott Woodward after criticism by Louisiana governor” October 30, 2025

Jill Dixon, executive director of The Food Depot, had a great way of putting the numbers into context regarding the looming freeze of SNAP benefits. She said, “For every meal the food bank provides, the SNAP program provides nine.” Talk about visual impact.

Now This Impact, “Food bank worker gets choked up as SNAP cuts hit families” October 28, 2025

“Get out of my f–king shot,” said former Democratic Congresswoman and early front-runner for California Governor Katie Porter in a newly surfaced video recorded in 2021 for the Biden administration. A staffer appeared in the background of her video, correcting Porter’s facts on electric vehicles. Her campaign took a hit, and it demonstrates an important lesson to be learned — apologies are a communication artform. Porter took to the media to clear the air stating, “What I did to that staffer was wrong. I’ve acknowledged it to her in that moment, and I’m acknowledging it now.” Because it wasn’t an outright ‘I’m sorry,’ the response might not have done the trick. We’ll see at the polls.

The Sacramento Bee, “Katie Porter’s controversies damaged her campaign for CA governor, poll shows” November 3, 2025

The New York Times, “Katie Porter Says She ‘Fell Short’ in Viral Video Moments” October 15, 2025

It’s bad enough to be furloughed over Zoom, but when the tech glitches and you lose the audio, it can be particularly upsetting. Target Corp. experienced several mishaps while announcing the details of its first major restructuring in almost a decade. Prior to the silent Zoom, it was announced that 1,000 corporate positions would be cut and an additional 800 open roles wouldn’t be filled as part of a “plan to remove complexity.” To add insult to injury, some employees received a message purporting to be a potential job interview that was in fact a phishing exercise sent by Target’s security department. A Target security manager, in turn, apologized for the additional stress the exercise may have caused in light of the job cuts. A good case study of the importance of timing and how not to communicate layoffs.

Bloomberg, “Target Zoom Glitch Added to Series of Mishaps Over Job Cuts” October 29, 2025

“You got some pants on, officer?” asked Sean Perkins, head judge of Detroit’s 36th District. During a virtual court hearing, a police officer was asked to appear on camera for the record. To Judge Perkins’ surprise, a pants-less officer appeared before the court, most likely unaware of the exposing camera angle. In response to his question, the officer replied with a simple, “no, sir,” and the Judge proceeded with poise. Sometimes it doesn’t go without saying. We recommend checking your camera frame and surroundings before all virtual meetings, interviews and, yes, even court hearings.

NBC News, “Police officer appears to be without pants in virtual court” October 30, 2025

The world can’t get enough of the Louvre heist. Whether it’s romanticizing the thieves or discovering the lore of the stolen pieces, every person — and company — seems to be getting in on the conversation. The German equipment company that designed the getaway forklift used in the heist decided to post a spoof ad, leaning into the role they inadvertently played. “If you’re in a hurry,” read the ad atop a photo of the forklift, “The Böcker Agilo carries your treasures up to 400 kg at 42 m/min – quiet as a whisper thanks to its 230 V electric motor.” The key to successful social media is knowing what to post and when. This company is a benchmark for how to do exactly that.

The Independent, “‘If you’re in a hurry’: Company that designed Louvre getaway forklift release spoof ad after £76m heist” October 24, 2025

In other Louvre news, The New York Times highlighted an interesting new point of discussion emerging from the use of AI in social media. After The A.P. released photos of police officers stationed outside the museum for surveillance, a sharply dressed man became the focus, catching the attention of social media users. Many debated whether the dapper gentleman was AI-generated. While it was confirmed he was not, the picture sparked conversations about how to spot AI-generated photos and encouraged experts to note that “people are building AI literacy.” Thankfully!

The New York Times, “Is This Dapper Man Going to Crack the Louvre Heist Case?” October 23, 2025