Spotted in: NPR interview
Topic: National Security Council restructuring
Frame Used: Question Reframing
Background: In a late-Friday move before a holiday weekend, the Trump administration abruptly dismissed around half the National Security Council staff. Framed as a restructuring by Secretary of State and National Security Adviser Marco Rubio, the cuts reflect a broader trend of downsizing intelligence and national security roles in Trump’s second term.
“Well, it’s a reduction in staff. I may surprise you by what I’m about to say. I have no problem with reducing the size of the NSC staff significantly, maybe even by half. It had grown over the course of the last two decades. It had grown out of all proportion. The question is really not how many people are on it. The question is what’s its role. And when I heard that Rubio wants to change the role – change it to what? It performs a very essential role, and if you’re going to change that, we’re going to have problems in national security.”
— Richard Clarke, NPR
This quote appeared in a NPR interview.
How Clarke Reframed the Worry
Clarke reoriented the conversation from a political decision of cutting staff to a strategic one, the function of a national security counsel.
By changing the question from “how many people were let go?” to “what role does this body serve?” Clarke reframes what matters most.
Rather than say, “The Trump administration needs to keep the role as it’s always been,” the speaker instead:
- Builds consensus: he agrees that cuts to headcount needed to be made.
- Offers empathy: He understands why Trump fired the last NSC lead.
- Then he says, the real question is what role will this play in the administration, because it has a very key role that could be overlooked.
It plants a seed of concern: if the function is misunderstood or removed, something essential could break.
Why It Works
- It shifts from tactical numbers to strategic purpose
- It neutralizes criticism by showing agreement before pivoting
- It reframes the issue without sounding alarmist
By repositioning the question, Clarke takes control of the conversation. He doesn’t argue the cut directly—he makes the cut irrelevant compared to the real threat: misunderstanding the role itself.
Takeaway for Communicators
If you want your audience to rethink the issue entirely, don’t fight the old premise, replace it with a better question.
Not: “The Trump administration needs to maintain the NSC’s role.”
Instead: “The question isn’t how many staff the NSC has. The question is what role it plays—and whether consolidating it into the state department puts national security at risk.”