Recalibrating Comms in the Wake of the Trump Cybersecurity Policy Reversal

6 moves smart Cyber brands are making now

Less than 24 hours after President Trump’s public feud with Elon Musk, a sweeping new cybersecurity executive order was signed, overhauling Biden-era policies and reshaping the federal cyber landscape. 

Here’s what PR professionals, cybersecurity marketers, and enterprise communications teams must consider now, and especially those at b2b tech PR firms or managing a public relations strategy for tech companies:

1. Reframe Product Messaging to Match the New Policy Landscape

If your product suite emphasized compliance with Biden-era mandates — like software attestations or identity frameworks — you’ll need to reassess that language. With those requirements rolled back, relying on those claims could create confusion or erode credibility.

What to do:

• Audit all public-facing content (site copy, sales materials, thought leadership) for outdated compliance messaging.
• Replace “compliant with federal mandate X” with value-focused messaging around resilience, interoperability, and future-readiness.

2. Reassure Customers: Your Security Products Aren’t Obsolete—They’re Essential

The headlines suggest that entire swaths of the cybersecurity stack may now be “obsolete,” but this is misleading. Enterprises still face relentless threats, and security investments remain critical.

What to do:

• Publish customer-facing FAQs and position statements clarifying what has changed (and what hasn’t).
• Emphasize continuity: support for post-quantum encryption, threat detection, and zero trust remains a strategic necessity.
• Offer guidance on navigating the deregulated landscape safely.

3. Lean into Thought Leadership, Not Fear

This policy shift creates a massive thought leadership opportunity for enterprise vendors and advisors. Your stakeholders—from CIOs to CISOs to developers—are looking for calm, strategic voices to help them understand what’s next.

What to do:

• Host executive webinars on “Navigating Cybersecurity Without a Federal Roadmap.”
• Publish POVs or op-eds with titles like:
  • “Why Secure-by-Design Still Matters—Even Without Federal Mandates”
  • “Software Attestation is Dead. What Comes Next?”
  • Equip spokespeople with updated messaging to brief media, analysts, and customers.

4. Double Down on Industry & Voluntary Standards

With federal mandates loosening, industry frameworks will fill the gap. Enterprises must now show leadership in setting and adhering to self-imposed standards.

What to do:

• Highlight your company’s role in groups like CISA, NIST, OpenSSF, or other consortiums.
• Launch campaigns around internal commitments to zero trust, PQC adoption, or secure-by-default principles.
• If you haven’t already, join or lead initiatives that bring clarity to a fragmented security ecosystem.

5. Update AI & Encryption Narratives

The Trump order eliminates several Biden-era AI safety directives in favor of vulnerability-focused measures. It also keeps the 2030 post-quantum encryption deadline but simplifies the path forward.

What to do:

• Revise AI-related messaging to emphasize robustness, adversarial testing, and misuse mitigation, rather than general “safety.”
• Reintroduce post-quantum encryption not as a compliance checkbox but as a forward-looking trust signal for customers and partners.

6. Provide Clear Guidance with Side-by-Side Comparisons

Help internal and external audiences understand what’s changed by building side-by-side policy guides.

Biden-era Focus	Trump EO Shift	Messaging Impact
Software attestations	Eliminated	Retire “attestation-compliant” messaging
Digital identity mandates	Paused	Reframe identity as a privacy/security issue
AI safety rules	Removed	Focus on exploit resistance, not “safety”
PQC roadmap	Still required (2030)	Stay the course, simplify messaging
Federal cybersecurity centralization	Rolled back	Position around agility, agency-driven plans

Federal mandates may fade, but the threats—and the need for trust—have never been greater. In this moment of uncertainty, your messaging can be a moat. Speak with clarity. Act with authority. Lead with foresight. Now is not the time to pull back. It’s time to step forward and shape the new cybersecurity narrative.

Need help recalibrating your PR strategy post-policy shift? Our team at SourceCode Communications partners with top cybersecurity and b2b tech companies to lead with clarity and impact. Let’s talk.