Donald Trump’s state visit to the UK was a masterclass in soft power. As the first US President ever to receive a second state visit here, every detail - from the royal pageantry and state banquet at Windsor Castle to business-investment meetings - was designed for maximum effect.
Trump, who thrives on spectacle, was offered just that. He revelled in the pomp, the ceremony, the symbolism - and the British government clearly understood what matters to him. The “special relationship” claimed centre stage, and the visit showed once again that if you know your audience and play to their priorities, you can build influence.
Because this was his second visit, this week's events weren’t a fresh experiment - they were confirmation. The machinery of state, the optics, the carefully calibrated messaging all worked. According to reports, aides privately acknowledged how well the visit played to Trump’s tastes and priorities.
In many organisations, though, public affairs remains reactive. A minister needs something today, a regulation looms, or a crisis erupts - and the response is swift, but singular. That’s completely understandable when priorities need to be rationed. But there is another path: one where engagement is paced, continuous, attuned to what political targets care about, invested in their priorities, their ego, their reputation - not just your immediate ask. That approach builds trust. It builds credibility. It lays down advocates you may not even know you’ll need.
Some companies already do this well. Octopus Energy has shown what patient, consistent engagement can achieve in practice: by building strong, long-term relationships across the political spectrum - and especially with the current Labour government - it has become a trusted voice on energy transition and consumer policy. CEO Greg Jackson’s appointment in August as a non-executive member of the Cabinet Office Board gives Octopus a formal seat at the table for shaping national strategy. It is no accident that Jackson was also a guest at Trump’s state banquet in Windsor Castle earlier this week.
Why is this more critical now? Because the UK political context is sharply unpredictable. Power could shift drastically at the next General Election. Minor parties, backbenchers, regulators, and civil servants could all play outsized roles in influencing what gets made law - or what gets blocked. The pressure points are not always obvious until they emerge.
If it worked for the Government with Trump, it can work for businesses with Whitehall. Public affairs needn’t always be the spare-wheel function, thrown on when needed. Done well, it becomes essential, strategic. It’s about building that reservoir of goodwill, so when the unforeseen issue finally does arrive - because it will - you’ve already got allies in place.
Diplomacy teaches us this: relationships are built over time, not in single moments. Corporates that ignore that lesson risk finding themselves locked out of the conversation when it matters most.
