Former President Donald Trump is sitting down for a growing number of podcasts as he seeks to court a demographic that could prove key to his election hopes: young men.
Trump has toured the podcast circuit in recent months, recording lengthy interviews with male influencers from comedian Theo Von to wrestler Logan Paul to streamer Adin Ross. He even did a two-hour podcast-style interview with X owner Elon Musk . The strategy, it appears, is to reach young men who may have conservative leanings and could be convinced to back Trump, if they decide to vote.
Trump acknowledged it himself toward the end of his hourlong spot with Shawn Ryan, a former Navy SEAL who released his interview with Trump on Monday.
"People have to vote," he said. "It's very interesting, some groups don't really vote very much. And yet they're great Americans. But they, I don't know, something happens where they don't vote. They have to get out and vote. This is going to be the most important election in the history of our country."
While he didn't say so explicitly, Trump's spot with Ryan, whose show caters to military veterans, is likely an attempt to reach some of those very voters.
Trump has held multiple press conferences in recent weeks, partly to draw a contrast with the media-shy Vice President Kamala Harris, along with his signature rallies but is layering in podcast appearances as well, allowing him to speak in a mostly friendly environment for up to two hours with hosts who have audiences numbering in the millions.
The format can lead to unorthodox discussions for a political candidate. Von, who released his interview with Trump last week, got a window into the softer side of the former president, asking about his older brother's struggle with alcoholism. Von also asked Trump what qualities he admired in his children.
But the masculinity of Von's appeal was apparent throughout. He donned a UFC shirt, and the pair spoke about the sport and Trump's first boxing match, in which Muhammad Ali fought Joe Frazier in Madison Square Garden. "There were many heart attacks in the arena," Trump recalled. "They were taking people out."
Trump said his youngest son, 18-year-old Barron, is a fan of Von's work. "He knows you very well," Trump said. "He said, 'Dad, he's big.'"
Even if the discussions are not overtly political, reaching young men at all may be a win for Trump, who put on a hypermasculine convention in Milwaukee last month. Surveys show that men aged 29 and under support Trump by a more than 10-point margin, so getting them interested in the election is viewed as crucial to a winning Republican campaign. Young women, on the other hand, prefer Harris by a nearly 40-point margin.
Von did not offer his endorsement to Trump and hosted Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), the progressive lawmaker who is supporting Harris, on his podcast just a week prior, but elected officials see value in the exposure alternative media formats give their campaigns.
Brad Bannon, a Democratic strategist, agreed Trump is hoping to reach out to young men but said it's a risky play.
"The problem with this strategy is that he tends to say outrageous statements, which get reported out to a wide audience," Bannon said. "Some of the stuff he says, especially in podcasts, is very inflammatory and is not likely to do much good when these comments get reported to the general public."
Republican strategist John Feehery had a similar assessment.
"It’s smart to reach out to all kinds of new audiences," Feehery said. "But the downside is if he gets too comfortable and says something totally off-message, which he seems to do with some frequency."
Harris has not done an extended interview of any kind since taking over the Democratic ticket from President Joe Biden, but the party employed a similar alternative media strategy by inviting a coterie of social media influencers to last week's Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
Democratic courting of YouTubers and TikTokers even irked some of the traditional media in attendance, as roughly 200 influencers were given a "creator platform" on the convention floor, while the space for journalists was greatly reduced compared to previous conventions.
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Trump's strategy follows that of other politicians, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the independent presidential candidate who recently suspended his campaign and endorsed Trump. As he struggled to gain access to traditional media, Kennedy appeared on podcasts including the Joe Rogan Experience.
The outreach extends beyond booking Trump on podcasts. His campaign has sought opportunities to bring surrogates on to shows more oriented toward black audiences. It has even put $20 million into working with influencers to get people to register to vote and convince them to go to the polls, according to the Wall Street Journal.
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