The 2024 presidential election was the first one in which both candidates utilized podcasts in a bid to reach voters who get their news from sources outside legacy media.
President-elect Donald Trump conducted far more podcast interviews than his opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, who made the occasional appearance. Regardless, 2024 marked a noticeable shift from past elections, in which cable television interviews were prioritized over podcast interviews, a far cry from the anticipation and popularity Trump’s interview on The Joe Rogan Experience received this year.
Following the election, Joe Rogan and a guest on his show, former software engineer Marc Andreessen, speculated about the possibility of this election cycle being “the first internet election.” The host said he thought it was.
HOW PODCASTS TOOK A LARGER ROLE IN THE 2024 ELECTION
Trump appeared on Rogan’s show in late October, and that episode has since become one of the show’s most popular with over 52 million views on YouTube. Rogan was among the nominees for Time’s Person of the Year award, which, for the second time, went to Trump.
A large chunk of the podcasts Trump appeared on before the election were ones that appealed to male voters, such as Flagrant, ImPaulsive hosted by Logan Paul, and the PBD Podcast. During these interviews, the president-elect discussed a wide range of topics that currently affect the United States and voters, such as medical marijuana, artificial intelligence, and in vitro fertilization.
During an interview on the Bussin’ with the Boys podcast, Trump discussed what prompted him to run for president, citing the country’s lack of border security and countries such as China “ripping us off so badly” in trade deals. His comment on the latter topic mirrors remarks he made in an interview with Oprah Winfrey in 1988, arguing he was “tired of seeing the country get ripped off.”
In 2023, Trump opted to skip the first Republican primary presidential debate and instead do a one-on-one interview with Tucker Carlson, who launched his own show on X after being ousted from Fox News. Trump spent time rebuking many of his opponents in the primary, including calling former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie a “savage maniac” and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson “weak and pathetic.”
About a month before the election, Trump revealed that his youngest son, Barron Trump, had been advising him “a little bit” on the most popular podcast hosts. Among the recommended podcasts that Trump went on was This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von, during which the former president detailed his decisions not to drink or smoke, prompting Von to delve into his past addiction struggles.
Vice President-elect J.D. Vance also made several podcast appearances of his own, talking with Von about the “dividing and conquering” tactic he and Trump exercised on the campaign trail. Vance also appeared on The Joe Rogan Experience, during which he said most Harris supporters are “fundamentally good people” and why it was important for him and Trump to reach out to these voters and “talk to them.”
Once Trump won the election, Trump ally and Ultimate Fighting Championship President Dana White gave a shoutout to all the podcast hosts who gave the president-elect a chance to talk to voters. Von posted footage of White’s speech on X, congratulating Trump on winning the election, adding that while he invited all the 2024 candidates to his show, only Trump, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and Vance were the only ones to accept his invitation.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Spotify clearly recognized the value of podcasts at the start of this year, renewing its deal with Rogan, valued at roughly $250 million, in February. The new deal allowed Rogan to expand the availability of his show to other platforms including Apple and YouTube, as doing so allowed the host “to continue to maximize the audience of the show across platforms,” according to Spotify.
Ahead of Trump’s inauguration in January 2025, Donald Trump Jr. has floated the possibility that the White House press briefing room could be opened to podcast hosts and “friends” of the president, expanding the room’s availability to others besides traditional journalists. He added that a change to who is allowed in the press room that could “blow up some heads” is not off the table.