New Index: Trump the Top Reputation Risk for Companies
Washington, D.C., October 7, 2025 – The latest Reputation Risk Index (the Index) finds that for the first time since he retook the presidency, Donald Trump has become the most serious threat to corporate brands. The Q3 data reveals that the top threat confronting companies is targeting or criticism from the American president. He has taken an aggressive, even interventionist approach to the bully pulpit. It is one that is now starting to take a serious toll on some business’ bottom lines and forcing many to rethink a wide range of operations, from logo designs to their leadership choices.
“This quarter marks a tipping point in how reputational risk is playing out in a hyper-polarized, technology-amplified environment,” said Isabel Guzman, former Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration and Chair of the Global Risk Advisory Council, which contributes to the Index. “President Trump’s use of his platform to single out companies has turned traditionally heated political rhetoric into both a scolding reputational and revenue threat.”
Some CEOs have journeyed to the White House to offer concessions or gifts to the President, in an effort to avoid or address his ire. Yet, the Index notes that many of these attacks emerge from social media commentary by a wide range of MAGA influencers. They then generated a cacophony of costly criticism against a company, even before a presidential post enters the mix. That can lead to investigations or actions by federal agencies or Congress.
The Q3 Index also focused on reputational risks in the tech sector, ahead of a Risk Roundtable the Index will hold at the University of California Berkeley. When asked to rank the most concerning risks associated with the proliferation of artificial intelligence (AI) systems, members of the Council cited the technology’s ability to spread false information at scale as the top risk. There was also considerable concern about the lack of human oversight in certain AI applications. This comes after overly accelerated adoption of AI topped the Index in Q1.
Some major risks observed in Q2, did not make the top ten in Q3. Ties to China, as President Trump reached an agreement with companies like NVIDIA and TikTok, despite their ties to Beijing. However, there are technology and AI issues that persist, with data privacy violations, intellectual property infringement, and anticompetitive behavior remaining in Q3. Council members also said they expect reputational risks to rise in the last quarter of 2025.
These latest findings will be discussed on Tuesday, October 7, 2025, at 11:30 AM EST, with Guzman and Global Situation Room CEO Brett Bruen, during a live discussion at the Berkeley Center for Law and Business, moderated by the Center’s Executive Director Angeli Patel. Registration for the event and all Index reports are available at www.ReputationRisk.org.
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