The 2024 election showcased the power of podcasts in reaching voters, particularly with President Donald Trump’s base. Joe Rogan, as well as the likes of Theo Von, Andrew Schulz, and more, are increasingly dictating what is being debated in the halls of power, not least the Jeffrey Epstein saga. As the influence of the “podcast bros” grows, so does the increasing number of female podcasters and social media stars. But their newfound authority brings unique pitfalls and challenges. This Washington Examiner series, Band of Bros, will scrutinize the new media dynamic.

Conservative activists have long struggled to reach young women, but a new wave of right-leaning women content creators is trying to change that, not through cable news or campaign rallies, but with soft-focus Instagram reels, podcast interviews, and carefully curated aesthetics.

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No one knows that better than Jayme Franklin, the founder and CEO of The Conservateur, a digital lifestyle brand that pairs traditional values with a high-gloss, fashion-forward image, positioning itself as a kind of Vogue for the right.

“We’re not trying to make women more like men,” Franklin said. “We’re celebrating what makes us different.”

Franklin grew up in a conservative Catholic household in the Bay Area and always imagined a future in fashion. She studied at Condé Nast’s fashion college in London before enrolling at UC Berkeley in 2016, the same year Donald Trump was elected president. That moment, she said, was a turning point.

“Things at Cal just went so insane,” she told the Washington Examiner. “People lost their minds after Trump was elected.”

It wasn’t just Berkeley. Franklin saw what she describes as an ideological shift across women’s media, magazines, celebrity coverage, and online platforms that extended far beyond politics.

“It’s not even just that they backed Hillary Clinton,” she said. “It’s this culture they push out to women that’s anti-American, anti-men, anti-motherhood, and just really toxic.”

She launched The Conservateur in the summer of 2020 with co-founder Isabel Brown, just days before George Floyd’s death and the nationwide unrest that followed. She admits the timing wasn’t ideal.

“We didn’t know anyone in politics,” Franklin said. “We had no connections, we just knew there was nothing out there that reflected our views in the women’s space.”

The backlash came quickly. Critics targeted the brand’s mix of conservative messaging and feminine aesthetics, but Franklin said the hostility only strengthened their resolve. “We had to make our skin very thick, very early on,” she said.

Momentum began to build after Trump’s reelection in 2024. According to Franklin, The Conservateur gained over 40,000 Instagram followers in just three days. The brand is now preparing to launch a podcast to expand its reach further, part of a broader push to speak directly to young women who feel alienated by traditional media.

While male-dominated podcasts such as Joe Rogan, Theo Von, and Charlie Kirk’s shows, dubbed the “podcast bros” of MAGA, have played an outsized role in defining Trump-era discourse and even influencing press access in Washington, it’s the rise of female-led media platforms that signals the next frontier in right-wing outreach.

In the 2024 presidential election, 40% of young women ages 18–29 voted for Donald Trump, up from just 33% in 2020, according to CIRCLE at Tufts University. While Trump performed even better with young men, earning 56% of their vote, the rise among young women has drawn attention from Republican strategists looking to close that gender gap.

Franklin sees a clear opportunity for Republicans to build momentum with Gen Z women.

“We want to be the leading voice in the young female space,” she said. “The conservative movement needs to uplift voices like ours, because if we can shift the young women’s vote, Democrats are done.”

Alex Clark, host of Culture Apothecary, a Turning Point USA podcast blending conservative values with health and wellness, has also emerged as a prominent figure in the right’s push to engage women. Since launching last September, her show has consistently ranked among the top 10 health podcasts on Apple and Spotify.

“I noticed it in late 2022, when I started doing episodes on food and pharma. The downloads skyrocketed,” Clark said, speaking to the Washington Examiner. “Women were hungry for this, literally and figuratively.”

What began as personal research into raw milk, vaccine skepticism, and pharmaceutical corruption evolved into the Make America Healthy Again movement, now one of the most talked-about entry points for young women entering conservative politics.

“This is the issue that’s flipping votes. It’s not abortion. It’s health,” Clark said.

At Turning Point USA’s headquarters last October, staff described the group’s transformation from college campus activism into a full-fledged media operation. Before 2019, its efforts were largely offline. Since expanding into digital, the group has launched a growing slate of shows and built a strong YouTube following. Clark quickly became one of its breakout stars, with a rapidly growing audience of young women. By last fall, Turning Point had begun converting part of its facility into a dedicated studio for her show.

At the organization’s Young Women’s Leadership Summit in Dallas this June, Clark said dozens of attendees credited Culture Apothecary with inspiring their first Republican vote.

“There’s nothing more powerful than a pissed-off mom,” she added. “And if the GOP stays focused on this, we’ll keep winning.”

Still, Clark voiced concern about the direction of environmental policy under Trump’s second term. Specifically, she warned that proposed protections for chemical companies, reportedly under consideration at the EPA, would contradict the very principles that energized MAHA voters.

“That’s the complete opposite of what we voted for,” Clark said. “This is the most powerful driving force within the Republican Party right now, and flirting with corporate immunity on toxic chemicals is not a boat the GOP should want to rock heading into the midterms.” 

The Trump administration, for its part, has leaned heavily into a family-centered image, one that resonates with many conservative women. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt has become a symbol of that shift, frequently seen with her infant son by her side. A viral photo of her feeding her baby at her East Wing desk drew praise across social media.

Sarah Selip, founder of 917 Strategies and a former adviser to Vivek Ramaswamy’s presidential campaign, sees the shift beyond Washington.

“There’s been a massive cultural shift,” she said. “Celebrities are waking up and realizing they don’t have to bow down to the echo chamber.”

She credits Trump for opening the door not only for entertainers and influencers but also for everyday women and mothers to feel seen and heard.

“He’s welcomed women, children, and even Gold Star families into the White House,” Selip said. “He’s shown there’s room for everyone to make a difference.”

That message inspired her now-signature accessory: a tote bag that reads “Your feminism doesn’t speak for me” in bold pink text. Created in partnership with the Independent Women’s Forum, the bag debuted at a campus panel with conservative sorority women and quickly went viral.

“I live and breathe by this sentiment,” she said. While Selip still considers herself a traditional feminist, she says the left has “monopolized and weaponized” the label for political gain. At that same IWF event, she warned about the growing pressure on college women to conform politically, even within spaces meant to foster female solidarity.

“No woman should feel unsafe in her sisterhood,” she said, “whether that’s for speaking up for themselves or their beliefs, or feeling pressured to include transgender men in it.”

BAND OF BROS: TRUMP’S PODCAST MANOSPHERE IS SHAKING UP POLITICS AND THE PRESS

As the 2026 midterm elections approach, Franklin says the right’s growing cultural presence is more than flipping votes; it’s about offering women an alternative. She sees The Conservateur as more than a political platform. It’s a lifestyle brand for women who feel increasingly shut out of mainstream spaces.

“Our goal is to represent conservative women in a way that they have been so alienated from the women’s space,” she said. “But also to really build bridges and try to have more women come onto our side. We believe that our worldview and our way of life brings true happiness to people, whether that be marriage, motherhood, or working hard in your career and supporting this country.”