Why CEOs Are Still Silent

In this episode of Communication Breakdown, hosts Steve Dowling and Craig Carroll examine the communications void left as Los Angeles becomes ground zero for President Trump’s escalating deportation campaign. With ICE raids, military presence, and mass detentions dominating headlines, corporate America has largely chosen silence. Dowling and Carroll unpack why companies are hesitant to speak, what that silence signals, and how communicative caution is evolving in the second Trump term. Drawing from frameworks like ACCESS and STEADY, they offer a roadmap for CEOs navigating chaos, visibility, and value signaling in a climate where every word is a trigger. This episode challenges corporate leaders to prepare their principles now—before the spotlight finds them.TakeawaysSilence in high-stakes moments signals drift, not discipline—especially in politicized crisesThe ACCESS and STEADY frameworks offer actionable models for scenario-testing, stakeholder awareness, and calibrated messaging.Waiting for polling shifts or market drops to determine a communications stance undermines credibility.The line between individual expression and corporate implication is dangerously thin, especially with legacy brands.Clarity of principle, not volume of voice, should guide when and how companies speak up.“Not my lane” arguments fall flat when employee safety, local presence, or brand values are at stake.Topics MentionedImmigration enforcement, corporate silence, communicative caution, narrative control, visibility vs. invisibility, ACCESS model, STEADY model, alignment signaling, stakeholder expectations, CEO discipline, Trump-era messaging, reputational risk, chaos management, constitutional principles, political neutrality, civic responsibility, misinformation, scenario testingCompanies MentionedHome Depot, Waymo, Google, WalmartChapters00:00 Trump’s Crackdown in LA and Corporate Silence01:45 ICE Raids, National Guard, and Business Fallout03:40 Garment Industry Disruption and CEO Hesitance05:15 Tall Poppy Syndrome and Fear of Standing Out07:00 Neutrality as Complicity—Messaging that Holds09:23 Walmart's Minimalist Response to Christie Walton's Ad11:50 Immigration Polls Shift—Does It Matter?13:45 Invisibility Isn’t Safety: Readying the Message16:00 Communicative Caution vs. Disappearance18:00 ACCESS and STEADY—Frameworks for Clarity20:40 Aligning with Principles, Not Political Sides23:40 Scenario Testing When It Reaches Your Backyard26:00 From January Wildfires to Armed Conflict—Where’s the Consistency?28:13 Yale CEO Poll—When Would You Speak Out?30:39 Moral Judgment or Market Trigger?32:55 Final Thoughts: Speak as a Citizen, Not a BrandEpisode Hashtags#HomeDepot #Waymo #Google #Walmart #CorporateSilence #CrisisCommunications #ReputationManagement #StakeholderTrust #PublicRelations #TrumpAdministration #StrategicMessaging #LeadershipVisibility #CivicResponsibility #CorporateGovernance #ShawnPNeal #AdvoCast #OCRNetwork