24 June Good Cop, Bad Cop: The Oldest Double Act in Negotiation

Do you know Aesop's fable The Sun and the Wind? The sun and the wind argue over which of them can persuade a traveler wearing a coat to take it off. They agree that whoever succeeds wins.

The wind goes first. It blows fiercely. Cold. Aggressive. But the harder it blows, the tighter the traveler clutches his coat. Then the sun appears. At first gently, then increasingly warm. The traveler relaxes, grows comfortable, and willingly takes off his coat. That is exactly how the “Good Cop, Bad Cop” negotiation tactic works. Not through pressure alone, but through contrast.

And no one has been demonstrating this more visibly in recent times than Donald Trump.

On May 23, 2025, Donald Trump threatened on Truth Social to impose a 50 percent tariff on all imports from the European Union. Negotiators in Brussels were stunned. Only hours later, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent appeared on Fox News and calmly explained: “I hope this lights a fire under the EU.” Those negotiating with the United States “in good faith,” he said, would be given more time. Those who did not would receive a letter announcing the tariffs.

Trump played the Bad Cop: capital letters, escalating numbers, a public stage, and a megaphone. Bessent played the Good Cop: measured language, continued willingness to talk, and a reasonable tone. Both were sitting at the same negotiating table—just with very different volume settings.

The EU negotiated under the influence of both voices. In the summer of 2025, a framework agreement was reached, setting tariffs at 15 percent. Far below the threatened 50 percent. Yet far above what would have seemed conceivable just two years earlier. The Good Cop closed the deal. But he could only do so because someone else had bared his teeth first.

What you can do when you encounter this double act

Three things help:

1. Recognize that it may be staged. The question is not, “Which one of them is right?” but rather, “Are they working together?” They do not even need to have coordinated their roles. The effect works as long as the contrast works.
   
   
2. Don't negotiate against the Bad Cop. Keep your position anchored to your own objectives. Don't automatically adjust to the loudest threat in the room. Otherwise, you end up negotiating against a shadow – large, intimidating, but ultimately lacking substance.
   
   
3. Call out the game – calmly and without accusation. "I'm noticing that the public messaging and the conversations we're having here differ significantly in tone. Let's focus on what we've agreed at the table, rather than on statements made for public consumption." That is precisely what the EU did in January 2026 when, following the Greenland threats, it once again put its own agreement on hold. Once you make the game visible, you take away much of its power.

Next week: The Salami Tactic – the art of advancing quietly, one small slice at a time.

Sources
The Hill, May 23, 2025 (Bessent's “light a fire” quote)
Fox Business, May 23, 2025 (original interview)
CNBC, June 11, 2025 (Bessent before Congress on negotiating “in good faith”)

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