The podcaster is the new politics power broker, and both the Harris and Trump campaigns know they have to kiss the ring
Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are both making an effort to be on podcasts.
Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris disagree on a lot of things, but there’s one thing they align on — reaching out to voters on podcasts.
The Democratic nominee made an appearance on the latest episode of Alex Cooper’s “Call Her Daddy” podcast, which aired on Sunday.
During the interview, Cooper asked Harris about Trump’s wild claim that babies were being executed after birth, a statement he made during the presidential debate on September 10.
“That is not happening anywhere in the United States. It is not happening and it’s a lie. It’s a bold-faced lie,” Harris told Cooper.
“This guy is full of lies. I mean, I just have to be very candid with you,” Harris said of Trump.
Vice President Harris calls out Trump’s lies about women and abortion: “It’s so insulting… This guy is full of lies. I just have to be very candid with you” pic.twitter.com/vEKPIuT0o3
— Kamala HQ (@KamalaHQ) October 6, 2024
Harris’ podcast appearance comes as her campaign embarks on a media blitz. Harris’ team has received flak for booking their candidate on a limited number of media appearances — in comparison to Trump, who has been busy hitting the podcast circuit.
In August, Trump did a livestreamed interview on X with his vocal billionaire backer, Elon Musk.
The Republican nominee has also given multiple podcast interviews in recent months, including sit-downs with Logan Paul, Theo Von, Adin Ross, Lex Fridman, and Dr. Phil.
During his interview with Fridman, which aired last month, Trump said that he was drawn to podcast interviews for their reach.
“You have to get the word out and you have to just continuously, like, for instance, you have a great show. You have a great podcast. It’s very well-watched. And I’m sitting here, and I do this, a lot of people see it. And I do other things, and a lot of people see that,” Trump said.
Trump, who often appears on Fox News, even suggested to Fridman that the traditional media’s popularity could be waning.
“And I go traditional also, you know, you have traditional television, which is getting a little bit older and maybe less significant, could be less significant, I don’t know. But it’s changing a lot. The whole platform is changing a lot. It’s changed a lot in the last two, three years,” Trump said.
“But from a political standpoint, you’ve to find out what people are doing, what they’re watching. And you have to get on.”
Trump was also introduced to the medium of livestreaming during an August interview with high-profile Gen Z streamer Adin Ross, who has a large conservative male following.
Ross taught him the nitty-gritty of how live chats work and introduced him to some Gen Z slang. The interview drew more than 500,000 viewers and ended with Trump accepting a Tesla Cybertruck from Ross.
And in June, Trump did an hourlong interview with the controversial social-media influencer Logan Paul, talking about everything from Putin to aliens and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk.
Why podcasting is now king
Podcast interviews have several benefits — and they may help candidates reach younger voters, who often get their news from less traditional sources of media.
Saifuddin Ahmed, a communication professor at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University, said podcasts are effective in connecting “directly and authentically with younger, often politically disinterested audiences.”
“Podcasts offer a more casual and relatable setting for political messaging, which resonates well with younger audiences who often prefer lighter, less formal discussions over heavy policy talk,” he said.
He added that podcasts are perceived as “more sincere and less controlled compared to traditional media outlets.”
“Unlike traditional media, often viewed as having political biases or strict editorial control, podcasts offer direct communication between candidates and audiences, promoting a sense of connection,” Ahmed said.
But he cautioned that podcasters may have their own biases and commercial interests as well.
Podcast clips also have mileage beyond just the channel. For instance, clips from Trump’s interviews with Paul and Ross have gone viral on both TikTok and X.
That reach on TikTok, in particular, is a big get. According to a September 2023 survey from the Pew Research Center, 17% of US adults in September said they regularly get news from TikTok, up from 3% in 2020.
That number jumped from 9% to 39% among 18- to 29-year-olds. The survey was conducted on 10,658 US adults from July 15 to August 4, 2024.
Trump has a robust TikTok following, with 11.7 million followers as of press time. He also has the full-throated endorsement of Musk, who owns X.
Harris lags behind Trump in terms of TikTok following, with 4.6 million as of press time.
But she has tried to make up for it on other fronts, like her Gen Z-targeted social media campaign on X with memes and celebrity endorsements, as well as her trendy campaign merchandise.
