The 2024 presidential election will be remembered as the first featuring both candidates making multiple podcast appearances to promote their campaigns, utilizing a media field that has vastly grown in popularity.
Unlike interviews on cable news networks, which require a subscription to watch live, many podcasts are readily available to consumers via platforms such as Spotify, YouTube, or Apple Podcasts, all of which can be accessed through smartphones, and in most cases, for free. The accessibility that podcasts offer to consumers compares to the decrease in cable subscriptions in the United States, going from a peak of 105 million households subscribed to cable television in 2010 to the 70 million expected by the end of 2024.
As such, both former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris have utilized the growing popularity of podcasts to reach out to younger voters.
ImPaulsive – 4.73 million subscribers
The former president has been actively making podcast appearances within the last four months, many of which cater to a male audience. His first of these podcast appearances was done in June on ImPaulsive, hosted by social media influencer and WWE wrestler Logan Paul, which made it into the podcast’s top 10 most-watched episodes with 6.6 million views on YouTube.
On this podcast, Trump’s first major podcast appearance on the 2024 campaign trail, he addressed the topic of artificial intelligence. Trump noted how AI is “really powerful stuff” that the public needs to be careful with, but also acknowledged it can be used “for good,” stating he used AI to create a speech for him.
This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von – 3.2 million subscribers
Trump’s most popular podcast appearance was made on comedian Theo Von’s podcast, which has received over 13 million views on YouTube since it was uploaded on Aug. 20. It is the second most watched episode of This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von, bested only by fellow podcast host Joe Rogan’s appearance in 2022 with almost 23 million views.
During his discussion on Von’s podcast, a favorite of his son Barron’s, the former president delved into his decision not to drink or smoke, noting that his brother, Fred Trump, “had a problem with alcohol” and would smoke a lot. The former president has since told his children not to drink or smoke, prompting Von to delve into his own addiction struggles.
Lex Fridman – 4.27 million subscribers
The former president does not hold the same opposition to medical marijuana, however, as he argued it has been “amazing” during his appearance on the Led Fridman’s podcast. Trump also acknowledged that he lost the 2020 election “by a whisker,” a departure from his repeated claims he did not legitimately lose his reelection bid.
FLAGRANT – 1.75 million subscribers
The former president addressed the topic of abortion during an appearance on the FLAGRANT podcast, a major topic ahead of the 2024 election, the first presidential election since Roe v. Wade was overturned. Trump reiterated his comment that decisions on abortion limits ought to be left up to the states “where it belongs,” while also condemning “crooked politicians” seeking to end in vitro fertilization.
Bussin’ with the Boys – 542,000 subscribers
When Trump appeared on Bussin’ with the Boys in mid-October, he was asked what prompted him to get involved in politics. Trump said the country’s lack of border security and China and other countries “ripping us off so badly” in trade deals were what made him throw his hat in the presidential ring.
PBD Podcast – 2.19 million subscribers
On the PBD Podcast, the former president addressed “an amorphous group of lunatics” that the U.S. faces as a domestic enemy, warning these political opponents are “sort of sick” but “not stupid.” Trump also warned that Harris is “a little bit more dangerous” than President Joe Biden, adding that “she’s basically a Marxist.”
Call Her Daddy – 995,000 subscribers
Harris has not conducted as many podcast appearances as her opponent, though she did appear on the Call Her Daddy podcast earlier this month, in a bid to campaign to younger women voters. The podcast, which is Spotify’s second most popular in the U.S., also has almost one million subscribers on YouTube.
Harris said while on the Call Her Daddy podcast that it is “outrageous” how decisions on abortion limits can be made by state governments. She also addressed some of her policy proposals that she argued would help the cost of living for families, such as child tax credits for the first year, down-payment assistance for first-time homebuyers, and medical debt not appearing on credit history.
All the Smoke – 1.01 million subscribers
The vice president also appeared on the All the Smoke podcast, hosted by NBA champions Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson. The podcast has over one million subscribers on YouTube, with Harris’s appearance getting over 600,000 views since it was shared on the platform on Sept. 30.
In her appearance on All the Smoke, Harris was asked about mental health, which she deemed “one of the biggest public policy failures” in the U.S. She also said “millions of extra dollars” have been given to schools to address the mental health crisis, but that “we need to do a lot more.”
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Harris and Trump have yet to appear on The Joe Rogan Experience, Spotify’s most popular podcast in the U.S., ahead of Election Day. It was reported on Monday that Harris campaign officials met with Rogan’s team, though an appearance has yet to be confirmed.
Trump, meanwhile, has claimed he will appear on Rogan’s podcast when he was talking on Nelk Boys’s Full Send Podcast, despite the host not confirming it. Rogan previously was opposed to ever having the former president on his show since he was “not interested in helping him,” though he changed his tune last year to state that “maybe” Trump could appear as a guest.
