Former President Donald Trump has been on a blitz of podcasts and online shows popular with male audiences as Election Day nears, with more on the way, producing a stream of viral moments lauded by Trump’s fans and denigrated by Vice President Kamala Harris’ team—and drawing millions of views in the process.
ERIE, PENNSYLVANIA - JULY 29: Former U.S. President Donald Trump enters Erie Insurance Arena for a ... [+]
In his latest podcast interview released on Oct. 25, Trump spent nearly three hours casually talking about conspiracy theories (like false election fraud theories about the 2020 election and the existence of Martians) and his political decisions in a long-awaited interview on the “Joe Rogan Experience.”
Trump chatted about sports and the wrestling industry on "Six Feet Under," a podcast from wrestler Mark Calaway, or “The Undertaker”—at one point, Trump calls out a man who allegedly planned to assassinate him on the golf course for “not, at least, letting him putt it out,” and says wrestler Dwayne Johnson told Trump his response to the first assassination attempt showed “bravery.”
Comedian Andrew Schulz and his co-hosts interviewed Trump on the “Flagrant” podcast earlier this month, generating viral clips as Schulz laughed loudly at Trump earnestly saying he’s “basically a truthful person,” Trump explained his meandering speaking style as “the weave” and Schulz said there’s a bipartisan agreement about Trump’s sense of humor.
On Barstool Sports’ podcast “Bussin with the Boys,” a sports show hosted by former NFL football players Will Compton and Taylor Lewan, Trump said earlier this month he didn’t like playing football against “some guy who was lifting weights all day and came from a bad neighborhood."
Host and comedian Theo Von relies more on comedy than political commentary on his show, but his August interview with Trump led to a viral clip where Trump asks Von if he still does cocaine and if the drug creates strong feelings, and Von responds that “cocaine will turn you into a damn owl, homie.”
Adin Ross — a streamer who uses Kick.com after being banned from popular site Twitch for offensive comments — live-streamed with Trump in August, where he gifted Trump an estimated $70,000 MAGA-decorated Tesla Cybertruck and a Rolex watch (a potential violation of campaign finance rules if Trump kept the gifts, The New York Times reports).
Lex Fridman — an MIT-affiliated computer scientist who often interviews controversial figures like Kanye West or Elon Musk — opened his hour-long September interview by pushing back on Trump’s calling Harris a communist, yet the episode shortly continued on with discussions about Jeffrey Epstein, UFOs, the “dirty game” of politics and religion.
In their latest Trump interview, the “Nelk Boys,” YouTubers known for videos about pranks and parties who first hosted Trump for viral 2022 and 2023 interviews, brought up Trump appearing on Joe Rogan’s highly-popular podcast and in response, Trump said he was considering going.
-“Impaulsive” with Logan Paul (June 13) — 6.6 million views on YouTube as of Oct. 29, not including other platforms
-“All In Podcast” (June 20) — 3.4 million views
-Adin Ross’s live stream (posted to YouTube Aug. 5) — 2.6 million views
-“This Past Weekend with Theo Von” (Aug. 20) — 14 million views
-“Shawn Ryan Show” (Aug. 26) - 3.5 million views
-“Lex Fridman Podcast” (Sept. 3) — 5.1 million views
-“Flagrant” (Oct. 9) — 7 million views
-“Full Send Podcast” (Oct. 14) — 3.2 million views
-“Bussin’ With The Boys” (Oct. 15) — 420,000 views
-“PBD Podcast” (Oct. 17) — 2.7 million views
-“The Dan Bongino Show” (Oct. 18) - 2.8 million views on Rumble
-“Six Feet Under with Mark Calaway” (Oct. 21) - 708,000 views
-“Joe Rogan Experience” (Oct. 25) - 37.8 million views
Trump sat for the Rogan interview on Oct. 25, and it quickly became one of Rogan’s most watched episodes in more than a decade, spawning dozens of viral moments. Rogan said on Oct. 29 that the video faced an issue with its discoverability on YouTube. The issue incited unsubstantiated rumors from fans across X that YouTube suppressed the video in its search function. YouTube addressed the problem in a statement to Variety, saying any issues with search have been fixed. The “Joe Rogan Experience” podcast—known for its long and often meandering conversations—regularly ranks as the most listened-to podcast in the U.S. The host said in 2022 that he refused to have Trump on his podcast because an interview might help Trump by “revitalizing and rehabilitating” his public image in a “shocking way.” Rogan also admitted in 2020 that he refused to vote for President Joe Biden or Trump, and Rogan has been critical of Trump and Harris. However, he has predicted Harris to win in November, and he has criticized the internet’s relationship with Trump, saying it suppresses positive stories. Harris has discussed appearing on the “Joe Rogan Experience,” but her campaign has said she could not because of scheduling conflicts. Rogan posted on X on Oct. 29 that Harris did not “pass” on an interview and he hopes to have the interview. He added that Harris’ campaign “offered” an hour-long Tuesday interview but asked Rogan to travel for it. “I strongly feel the best way to do it is in the studio in Austin,” Rogan said in the statement.
Each week has brought a slew of new episodes and quotes from Trump, including an episode with the “PBD podcast,” where Trump continued to mock Harris’ race, a now-routine ploy from the Republican. The podcasts also reveal Trump’s relationship with fighting and boxing: many of the podcast hosts interviewing Trump are friendly with UFC’s CEO Dana White (including Trump himself), Hulk Hogan spoke at the Republican National Convention in July and Trump famously shaved WWE Founder Vince McMahon’s head in an WrestleMania event in 2007. Trump also said his son Barron has contributed to finding who the “hot” celebrities are, pointing to the hosts of “Bussin with the Boys” during his interview with the former NFL players. Another potential guide in Trump’s decisions, as Vanity Fair reported, is 18-year-old Bo Loudon, a patron of Trump’s famous Florida club Mar-a-Lago and self-described “pro-Trump influencer,” who is attributed with helping Trump navigate the extent of internet celebrities. Vanity Fair reports that Trump’s interview with Adin Ross was Loudon’s “brainchild.”
20%. That’s the share of likely voters who say they have watched one of the Trump podcast episodes, according to figures from a Suffolk University/USA Today poll released Oct. 23. Another notable polling figure: More than half of voters said Trump’s podcast interviews made them “more likely” or made “no difference” on their decision. In contrast, about 27% of voters said they have watched one of Harris’ appearances on podcasts. But for those who have watched, about 50% of all voters said it made them less likely to vote for her. Meanwhile, radio host Charlemagne The God — who hosted Harris for a conversation — said on his podcast “Brilliant Idiots” Schulz’s interview helped Trump’s chances of winning.
Podcast appearances have become a key part of both Trump and Harris’ media strategy in the election’s closing weeks, even as Trump eschews interviews with CNBC and CBS’ “60 Minutes.” These podcasts can reach millions, and may reach a more specific audience—often centering on younger male fans who may be less likely to vote—compared to the mainstream appeal of traditional media outlets. “Engaging with podcasters, comedians and influencers allows people to see that human side of President Trump that the mainstream media deliberately won’t cover,” Alex Bruesewitz, a campaign advisor on Trump’s team, told Forbes over email. Many of Trump’s podcast interviews also allow him to share his talking points regarding the border, tariffs or the state of the U.S.—and tell personal anecdotes—without journalistic follow-up questions. Trump’s campaign also is hoping to target a demographic of younger male voters, identifying the segment as “critical” to Trump’s chances because of the predicted loyal base of young women voting for Harris, according to Politico. Harris has also decided to pursue podcasts in her campaign, although on a less frequent basis, by only interviewing with a few podcasts that are immensely popular to the voter bases she’s hoping to reach. Harris appeared with host Alex Cooper on the “Call Her Daddy” podcast, Spotify’s second-largest podcast, on Oct. 6, and she went on the "All the Smoke” podcast, a popular sports podcast hosted by former NBA stars, on Sept. 30.
Harris’ campaign has posted excerpts from Trump’s podcast interview on its X account, often mocking his comments. After Trump’s “Bussin with the Boys” episode, Harris’ account posted the controversial moment in which Trump explained why he didn’t like football. The account also posted the clip from the “Flagrant” podcast of Schulz laughing at Trump for saying he’s “basically a truthful person.” In contrast to the wrestlers supporting Trump, actor and wrestler Dave Bautista acted in an ad on Oct. 17, calling Trump “whiny” and string of comedic insults.