The 1960 presidential election in which John F. Kennedy was elected was on television, and the 2016 election in which Donald Trump was elected was on Twitter. The main character of the 2024 presidential election is podcasts. As the election draws to a close, candidates’ visits to podcasts to target swing voters are becoming more frequent. The advantage is that you can meet voters who are difficult to reach through traditional media and can reveal your honest side in a comfortable atmosphere.
Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump said on the 25th (local time):Joe Rogan Experience‘I found the studio. This podcast, which interviews people in various fields for 2 to 3 hours, has 14.5 million and 17 million followers and subscribers on Spotify and YouTube, respectively. Democratic presidential candidate Vice President Kamala Harris also once considered appearing on the Logan Show.
The majority of subscribers to this podcast are young men and passive voters. These are the people Trump wants to meet. Politicoevaluated, “Trump’s appearance symbolizes a tectonic shift in the media environment in which independent podcasts have emerged as a major messenger in the presidential election.” On the same day, Harris appeared on the ‘Unlocking Earth’ podcast, which has many female subscribers, and interviewed Dr. Brené Brown.
The two candidates’ podcast appearances are increasing as election day approaches. Harris has previously appeared on podcasts such as ‘Call Her Daddy’, which mainly talks about women’s issues, ‘All the Smoke’, which covers NBA news, and ‘The Breakfast Club’, which covers the stories of women in their 20s, to connect with female audiences. Reached a black audience. Trump also appeared on podcasts aimed at men, such as the interview channel ‘Theo Vaughn’, ‘Business With the Boys’ hosted by former NFL players, and current affairs comedy ‘Andrew Schultz’s Flagrant’.
These podcasts often capture aspects of politicians that are not often revealed by mainstream media, such as bringing out candidates’ personal stories through light conversation. Because the interview is long, in-depth conversation is possible. In an interview with Theo Vaughn, Republican Vice Presidential candidate JD Vance revealed that he had trouble forming a bond with his mother, who was an opioid addict, and said, “Because of this, I have a hard time trusting my closest friends and family.” He even confessed, “I’m caught.”
Since it is an interest-based subscription media, it is also a channel to reach voters that traditional media cannot capture. This is why podcasts are attractive to politicians during election campaigns. According to a Suffolk University and USA Today poll released on the 23rd, about 25% of voters listened to Harris’ recent podcast, and about 20% of those who listened to Trump’s appearance.
It doesn’t just have a positive function. In the world of podcast political interviews, male subscriber-centered ‘bro podcasts’ stand out. They are mainly right-wing and exert overwhelming influence on Republican candidates. In fact, Trump and Jay D. Vance often appear on these types of podcasts. New York Times“This is a phenomenon that shows that America’s media environment is becoming more and more dispersed,” he said. “Hosts with extreme views on certain issues, like Logan, are having a greater influence on politics.”
Reporter Kim Won-cheol [email protected]
