From the wave of first-day executive orders to his near daily media availabilities, President Donald Trump has made clear that this is a true second term, not a second first term.
The second year of any presidency is when the hardest work on policy begins. In a Trump presidency, it also is when the pace accelerates. With midterm elections on the horizon, decisions will increasingly be made by smaller groups and executed more quickly.
The Trump administration isn’t in a policy development or exploratory phase. It is executing. Business leaders who engage with that reality in mind will have influence. Those who don’t will find administration policies moving forward without them.
For business leaders, success in the year ahead will transition from who you know to whether one’s business objectives are aligned with the president’s America First agenda. Those who adapt early will help shape outcomes. Those who don’t might find that decisions have already been made.
Second Term’s Differences
When I served in the first Trump White House, the pace was just as relentless, but the learning curve was steeper. The administration calibrated its priorities, which led to legacy accomplishments including the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 and the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement. The business community leveraged the diversity of opinions among administration stakeholders to accomplish its risk management objectives.
Business engagement in the second term has been much different. From the onset of the 2024 election campaign, Trump’s policy agenda was clear. As last January’s flurry of executive orders showed, the president has given his cabinet a clear mandate to execute his America First agenda. That clarity and direction are shaping how decisions are made.
Last year, the business community prioritized relationship-building and brand elevation with the administration. In response to Trump’s early executive actions, from DOGE to tariffs to nutrition policy, many business leaders sought access and guidance from the president and cabinet officials. That was a necessary first step. But access alone doesn’t move policy. And in a compressed midterm calendar, it won’t be enough.
Principles of Engagement
Based on my conversations with White House officials and my own experiences, here are four principles that business leaders should follow when engaging with the administration during the year ahead.
First, once a decision is made, understand where the implementation will be done. Relationships with mid-level administration staffers, the specific individuals charged with writing rules and regulations, are just as important as access to senior leaders. As policy shifts from design to execution, the individuals tasked with the details matter.
Second, bring solutions, not objections. The Trump team is open to policy refinement but not resistance. Companies should come prepared with alternatives that advance the president’s economic objectives. In executive branch corridors, savvy business leaders also would do well to acknowledge Trump’s initiatives that have bolstered their companies. Fostering a spirit of mutual respect with administration principals is important.
Third, assume the administration will use policy options aggressively. The president and his second-term team understand the full range of tools at their disposal and are willing to use them. They learned a lot from their first tour in Washington and have been aggressive in their second go around.
Tariffs, export controls, and supply chain incentives are enduring tools of statecraft. Engagement should focus on how those tools are deployed, not whether they are used.
Fourth, align with execution, not rhetoric. Administration officials across all agencies already know their priorities. Their mandate for 2026 is to turn them into reality. Companies that frame engagement around implementation (timelines, costs, and operational trade-offs) will be heard more clearly than those repeating broad messages of support.
For the Trump administration, 2026 will be about delivering real outcomes and accomplishments. Business leaders should respond accordingly.
This article does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Bloomberg Industry Group, Inc., the publisher of Bloomberg Law, Bloomberg Tax, and Bloomberg Government, or its owners.
Author Information
Joseph Lai is a principal at BGR Group who served as a special assistant to the president for legislative affairs in the first Trump administration.
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