Trump whisperer?

Reader question:

Please explain “Trump whisperer”, as in “Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is known as Italy’s Trump whisperer.”

My comments:

Have you heard of the term horse whisperer?

That is a professional horse trainer who’s constantly seen whispering into a horse’s ear.

He’s not speaking to the horse, of course, just appearing to be doing so.

In the trainer’s way of communicating with the horse, he’s quiet and persuasive, gentle and convincing because a good trainer knows what makes a horse tick, so to speak.

In the same way, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni seems to get along very well with US President Donald Trump, who is oftentimes unpredictable.

This is not to suggest that Meloni deals with Trump like the latter is a horse.

Of course not.

For one thing, Trump is not and will never be as docile and cooperative as most horses presumably are.

Anyways, a Trump whisperer is a Trump supporter who is able to deal with the President rather effectively, unlike others. The Trump whisperer is able to get what they want from Trump – not through violence or coercion, but through cajoling, coaxing and generally being gentle and quietly persuasive.

This is not dissimilar to how a horse whisperer deals with his or her horse, to be sure.

Anyways, a Trump whisperer, in short, is someone who not only supports and vouches for Trump, but is able to exert some manner of control and influence over the latter.

All right, here are media examples of various people who are described as someone’s whisperer:

1. The left-leaning New Republic ran an article a few days ago titled The Obama Whisperer, about senior White House advisor Valerie Jarrett. It includes this description of Jarrett’s power from a former Obama communications director: “Her role since she has been at the White House is one of the broadest and most expansive roles that I think has ever existed in the West Wing.” It’s an interesting and worthwhile read.

Jarrett is a long-time friend, mentor and trusted adviser to President Obama. First Lady Michelle Obama used to be an aide to Jarrett – both worked for former Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley, the eldest son of Richard J. Daley, who had been Mayor of Chicago from 1955-1976. Jarrett worked as Deputy Chief of Staff for Mayor Richard M. Daley and ran his housing and transit authorities.

Thus, Jarrett was no stranger to the Chicago system of political patronage – the power of favors and retribution. As an article on Daley in Wikipedia notes, “Daley was criticized when family, personal friends, and political allies seemed to disproportionately benefit from city contracting.” Interestingly, it also notes this familiar sounding nugget “[Daley’s] budgets ran up the largest deficits in Chicago history.” It takes a lot of other people’s money to line the pockets of your friends and allies – a lesson the Obama team learned well.

Jarrett has been described by the NY Times as “Obama’s spine,” by Vogue as “Barack’s Rock,” and now by New Republic as “The Obama Whisperer.”

The Obama Whisperer article describes the incredible and pervasive influence and power held by Jarrett. It describes the fear she instills in everyone around her: “When I asked a longtime source who left the Obama White House years ago for his impressions of Jarrett, he confessed that he was too fearful to speak with me, even off the record.” The article also describes how she is the “chief architect” of President Obama’s “suffocating bubble,” where dissenting voices are shut down and “almost everything is raised to the level of personal loyalty.”

- New insight into “Obama’s spine,” Valerie Jarrett, OregonCatalyst.com, November 11, 2014.

2. Acting legends and “Little Fockers” co-stars Dustin Hoffman and Robert De Niro taped an interview for Friday night’s “Late Show With David Letterman.” For Hoffman, the visit was just another in a long line of “Late Show” spots. For De Niro, it was a first.

“We’ve been on the air for 30 years,” Letterman told the "Raging Bull" star. “Right now, we're on CBS. We used to be on NBC. I live in your neighborhood – literally, your neighborhood. We’re neighbors, and this is your first time. What have I done?"

Without glancing at the host, the famously reserved Academy Award-winner answered, “Oh, God. I don’t know. I just … well, whatever. Dustin, he’ll explain to you.”

Always game, Letterman turned to Hoffman for insight.

“If you ask me the questions that you have designated for Bob, I can maybe answer for him.”

The reason?

“I am the De Niro Whisperer,” Hoffman explained.

- Sneak Peek: Dustin Hoffman and Robert De Niro on Letterman, Today.com, December 17, 2017.

3. Conservative activist Charlie Kirk was shot and killed while speaking at Utah Valley University on Wednesday.

Kirk, the founder and president of conservative action group Turning Point USA, was 31 and left behind a wife and two children, according to CBS News.

Kirk had developed a large and loyal online following and was an ally of President Donald Trump. Many of Kirk’s college Q&As, similar to what was supposed to transpire on Wednesday, went viral over the years.

Kirk co-founded Turning Point USA at the age of 18 in 2012, according to the BBC. Kirk grew up in the Chicago suburbs and dropped out of college to focus full-time on political activism.

Known as the “Trump whisperer,” Kirk was “deeply involved in vetting top positions for the administration following the election and was in constant communication with top advisers and the president himself,” ABC News reported.

Kirk had remained a staunch ally of Trump even as other high-profile conservative media figures had criticized Trump for issues ranging from Iran to Jeffrey Epstein during the early portion of his second term, according to a recent Deseret News profile.

A leader of the "America First" political movement, Kirk looked to expand his influence in the GOP through Turning Point Action.

Kirk amassed 7.3 million followers over the years and was known for his debate style and appearances at high-profile political conferences, the Deseret News indicated. Kirk accumulated 15 billion views across 2024 alone, according to a Turning Point spokesperson.

At the time of his death, Turning Point USA was considered the largest and most influential conservative youth organization in the U.S.

- Who was Charlie Kirk? KSL.com, September 10, 2025.

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About the author:

Zhang Xin is Trainer at chinadaily.com.cn. He has been with China Daily since 1988, when he graduated from Beijing Foreign Studies University. Write him at: zhangxin@chinadaily.com.cn, or raise a question for potential use in a future column.

（作者：张欣）