How Podcasters Shaped the 2024 Election

After one year from the 2024 election, the influence of podcasts in the current political landscape grows more different…

One year ago, during the 2024 election, former President Donald J. Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris employed several tactics to appeal to voters in and outside of their respective voter bases. During that election, one of the strongest tactics in appealing to broader groups of audiences was wielding the influence of independent media and podcasters.

One group of people that was heavily scouted throughout the election season was the young 18-29 voter demographic. To reach this group, both candidates employed a new strategy in the electoral landscape: podcasting. 

Traditionally, both parties used old media sources such as broadcast news channels like CNN and Fox News to push their agendas. However, as the political and media landscape shifted, newer forms of media were needed to reach these less engaged voters. 

During the election season, PEW Research conducted a study that found that voters' trust in the government was at an all-time low. “As of May 2024, 22% of Americans say they trust the government in Washington to do what is right, ‘just about always' or 'most of the time.’ Last year, 16% said they trusted the government just about always or most of the time, which was among the lowest measures in nearly seven decades of polling.”

As American trust in the government fell, so did trust in the traditional media sources that comprised the old system of news. According to Gallup polls: “Americans continue to register record-low trust in the mass media, with 31% expressing a 'great deal' or 'fair amount' of confidence in the media to report the news ‘fully, accurately and fairly,’”. 

Due to this mistrust in the media, both candidates employed other strategies to reach out to target demographics such as the youth vote. 

Both appeared on numerous podcasts and streams, with Trump appearing in 15 notable podcasts, such as “The Adin Ross Stream” with streamer Adin Ross (580,000 views), “Impaulsive” with businessman/podcaster Logan Paul (6.5 million), and “This Past Weekend” with comedian Theo Von (13 million views). 

Harris would attend 5 notable podcasts, with appearances in “The Howard Stern Show” with American Media personality Howard Stern (2 million views), “Call Her Daddy” with podcaster Alex Cooper (600,000 views), and “Club Shay Shay” with Shannon Sharpe (15 million views). Despite the fact that the podcasts were generally apolitical spaces, they were used as a tool to provide political power to the two candidates. 

Each podcast gained a large amount of views after a presidential candidate joined them in their podcast, with “The Joe Rogan Experience” accumulating 26 million views in the first 24 hours of its interview with Trump.

As both candidates visited up to 20 podcasts combined, these platforms helped solidify their influence with independent, young voters, as they got a closer view into the personalities of both Trump and Harris. In their podcast appearances, each targeted specific groups that were crucial for their campaigns.

In the case of Donald Trump, he went on many podcasts that appealed to young men, a group that showed considerable support for the Trump Campaign. Podcasts such as Adin Ross, Theo Von, and Logan Paul, Trump was able to discuss topics that resonated with the young male populace, thus solidifying his support within the group.

According to Brookings, young men are among the lowest-propensity voters. By appearing on podcasts where the topics are not exclusively politics and that are popular among young men, the Trump campaign is likely trying to motivate potential voters.

(Photograph: New Yorker/Adin Live)

In Kamala Harris' campaign, however, she took the opposite strategy, appealing to the young female demographic that supported her candidacy overwhelmingly. On podcasts such as Call Her Daddy, Club Shay Shay, and the Breakfast Club, Harris discussed topics that broadened her support with the young vote. 

According to Brookings, by going on these podcasts and discussing not just key campaign issues such as student loan debt and abortion access but also her upbringing and personal story, Harris made it very clear that she was aiming to connect with younger female voters.

Despite high views from all of the podcasts, both candidates were still closely matched in support among swing voters in the states crucial for electoral success. One podcast that helped shift this balance, however, was the Joe Rogan experience. 

What was unique about the Joe Rogan Experience was that both candidates wanted to go on the show. Joe Rogan, before that point, had hosted other political candidates such as Bernie Sanders, Andrew Yang, and Tulsi Gabbard. Rogan offered both candidates an important opportunity for their campaigns to reach out to the young male audience that was so pivotal in the election. 

According to National Public Radio, “Since 2008, winning Democratic candidates have received at least 60% support from young voters…” Trump was able to push through this democratic majority, by prioritizing podcasts over traditional media sources. 

Donald Trump was able to secure an interview with Rogan, which was immensely successful, garnering a lot of positive reviews from independent sources. According to Newsweek, The Joe Rogan Experience is the most popular podcast in the world, with 14.5 million followers on Spotify and 17.5 million subscribers on YouTube. 

The podcast appearance was wildly successful, with Newsweek reporting that the Trump interview had accumulated up to 26 million views on YouTube in the first 24 hours.  This was a huge success for Trump, as he was able to open up his political ideas to a wider audience of young men while projecting a 'bro' image with Rogan to appeal to them. 

Harris attempted to interview with Rogan, but due to scheduling errors/disputes, Harris failed to secure the interview. 

This was seen as a missed opportunity for the Harris campaign, with politicians such as former 2020 democratic candidate Andrew Yang calling out the blunder: “To people on the left Joe Rogan reaches millions of low propensity male voters - kind of the exact population you should be trying to get in front of… he is not a hostile interviewer - he’s curious and interested in why people believe what they do.”

Despite the failure of Harris to secure the podcast interview, many of her Democratic colleagues and other politicians have begun following in her and Trump's footsteps, appearing on several podcasts to share their views and political ideals. 

Figures such as Former White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki, democratic California governor Gavin Newsom utilized podcasts, Vice President J.D. Vance, and American entrepreneur/politician Vivek Ramaswamy have all utilized podcasts to further their political agenda, indicating America’s entrance into a new realm of political media.