In the late 1990s, Robert De Niro starred in an action-thriller called” Ronin”. The picture itself has generally been forgotten, but the film’s phrase has endured. In reality, De Niro says it at the 10-second level of the video:
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” I never enter a space that I don’t know how to leave.”
It’s a wonderful range. ( De Niro might be a political putz, but he’s a helluva actor. ) He said it with such a loam, ominous voice, it sounded really bada** — like someone Rambo might suggest, right before he annihilates the entire Asian army with his bow and arrow ( and good ol’ ‘ Murican courage, dagnabbit ).
But when you stop and think about it, De Niro’s range doesn’t make a lot of feeling: Also, of course, you simply “walk into areas you know how to move out of”! Then, you’d still be there!
Aside from Alzheimer’s victims ( Biden looks around nervously ), pretty much everyone who enters a room also knows how to walk out. That’s a fundamental need for walking in areas.
But 25 years later, PR professionals still use the” Ronin” range in media education: Never walk into a place you don’t know how to move out of.
This means that you don’t ever do an interview ( or make a public appearance, or do anything else with the media ) unless and until you’re 100 % sure what you want to get out of it.  ,
Anything less is media fraud.
If you go into an interview quietly hoping the writer will ask all the right issues, you’re probably gonna get disappointed. Instead, you may plan strategically: What are the three or four points you want accomplish?
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Most discussions aren’t longer enough to talk about anything, so you narrow it down to only a handful of products. You fine-tune your wording and branding. You choose an image-appropriate attire. And then you do the interview, knowing that it won’t be a success unless you talk about A, B, and C and plug your website ( or whatever ).
Get like Ronin: Be aware of how to leave the room Once entering.
And this brings us to today’s assurance hearing of Pete Hegseth, President-elect Trump’s candidate for Secretary of Defense. As many of you know, bad Pete was subjected to the slings and arrows of the U. S. Senate’s Armed Services Committee.  ,
But thankfully, those bolts lacked Rambo’s accuracy. Most legislators, it seems, have the firepower of a Stormtrooper with Parkinson’s.
Because these trials are definitely, completely, 100 %, from top-to-bottom, a celebrated internet function: Not a single senator went into the hearing yesterday with the mindset,” Gee, I didn’t wait to see what Hegseth has to say. I want to learn more and have an open mind.
The cake’s already been baked. All of their inquiries were merely for entertainment.
Fortunately, Hegseth has been training for this moment since 2014. That was the year he first joined Fox News. Since then, he’s logged thousands of hours in front of the camera. His experience on” Fox and Friends” was especially well-suited for D. C. show trials, because it taught him how to appear calm, friendly, and grounded — even when he’s not speaking.
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That’s crucial in these hearings because the Democrats ‘ game is to bait the nominee into an angry, unstable reaction. They’re trying to grease the wheels for a viral moment that justifies their ( pre-baked ) anti-Trump vote.
Hegseth’s job was to do his homework, master the source material, provide a few soundbites, and avoid giving the Democrats what they were looking for.
They certainly tried hard. From Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va. ) excoriating Hegseth for his moral failures vis-à-vis his marital infidelities ( which was Musk-level rich, considering that Kaine was Hillary Clinton’s nominee ), to being asked to define a “jag-off”:
( Too bad Hegseth wasn’t packing a mirror, eh? )
By the way, take note of Hegseth’s wardrobe: Blue suit, red tie, white shirt — and a star-spangled hanky in his pocket. I’m 99.9 % sure a PR doofus like me recommended that color combo. ( Game recognizes game! )
Hegseth is smart, likable, and understands the rules. The senators are used as props to communicate to the American people, not to win their hearts and minds.
That’s part one.
The second part is recognizing that the Democrats are desperately seeking your destruction, but they can’t do it without your cooperation. They need something viral — a moment they can weaponize. So don’t give’ em the ammo they need.
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It’s just show biz, babe!
At the end of the day, Hegseth walked out more likable than the Democrats. They needed to be rude, uncivil, and aggressive to bait him. But he kept his composure, prepped appropriately, and did what he had to do. He walked into the hearing, and then he walked out.
Just like Ronin.
