Is 2024 the podcast election?
The Trump and Harris campaigns are turning to alternative media to reach voters


Technology has always transformed presidential elections. John F. Kennedy benefitted from the rise of television. Donald Trump won his first race with the help of Twitter. This year, podcasting may be the breakthrough medium.
Kamala Harris could soon sit down with popular podcaster Joe Rogan as she "works to shore up support with male voters," Reuters said. It's potentially a huge audience for Harris: Spotify says Rogan has 14.5 million followers on the platform, in addition to millions more who see podcast clips on Instagram and YouTube. If the interview happens, it will be the latest salvo in the "all-important Bro-Podcast War of 2024," Matt Stieb said at New York magazine.
Podcasts are "transforming the presidential election," Brady Brickner-Wood said at The New Yorker. Harris has already appeared on the "Call Her Daddy" podcast to discuss women's issues, while Trump has appeared on just about every male-oriented podcast imaginable, including those hosted by Theo Von and Lex Fridman. Why the newfound podcast popularity? Traditional interviews — like Harris' visit to "60 Minutes" — can feel "especially rigid." Podcasts offer candidates an "affable, jovial hang." And they reach voters.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
What did the commentators say?
Some mainstream reporters are dismayed that Harris has "dispensed with legacy media as gatekeepers," Jennifer Rubin said at The Washington Post. In addition to the "Call Her Daddy" podcast, the vice president has also appeared on the NBA-oriented "All The Smoke" podcast and shows with radio hosts Howard Stern and Charlamagne Tha God. That's because "traditional news audiences are shrinking" while podcasts and other alternative formats offer "vastly more voters and potential voters" to candidates. Harris' media strategy is "exactly the right thing."
Harris' "Call Her Daddy" appearance "wasn't a hard-hitting accountability interview," Helen Lewis said at The Atlantic. But it did contain a "substantive policy discussion" about abortion rights, housing costs and other issues. Most Americans who do follow "hard news" have already decided how they'll vote. "Nailing down undecided voters — including those who don't currently plan to cast a ballot — is vital." Trump has already been on the podcast trail for months. Harris' decision to do the same is a "smart tactic."
What next?
The podcast presidential campaign reflects the Internet-era "scattering of audiences" that has left legacy outlets less powerful than they once were, Axios said. Hit podcasts, meanwhile, "over-index with audiences public figures want to reach." They also offer a different look at the candidates — Trump, for example, "showed a rarely seen softer side" while discussing his late brother's alcoholism during one podcast interview.
"The campaigns are still holding to some traditional tactics," said The Boston Globe. Together, Harris and Trump are expected to spend $2.1 billion on TV, radio, digital, and other media advertising during 2024, making this year's race the "most expensive election cycle in history." But podcasts are steering the conversation as never before, said media columnist Margaret Sullivan. "As journalists," she said, "we have to realize we are not the gatekeepers of information as we once were."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Joel Mathis is a writer with 30 years of newspaper and online journalism experience. His work also regularly appears in National Geographic and The Kansas City Star. His awards include best online commentary at the Online News Association and (twice) at the City and Regional Magazine Association.
-
Wine-tasting in Tuscany
The Week Recommends From biodynamic vineyards to historic cellars, the picturesque region is a wine lover's dream
By Irenie Forshaw, The Week UK
-
Ukraine-Russia: is peace deal possible after Easter truce?
Today's Big Question 'Decisive week' will tell if Putin's surprise move was cynical PR stunt or genuine step towards ending war
By The Week UK
-
The bougie foods causing international shortages
In the Spotlight Pistachios join avocados and matcha on list of social media-driven crazes that put strain on supply chains and environment
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK
-
Corruption: The road to crony capitalism
Feature Trump's tariff pause sent the stock market soaring — was it insider trading?
By The Week US
-
How 'China shock 2.0' will roil global markets
Feature An overflow of Chinese goods is flooding the global market. Tariffs won’t stop it.
By The Week US
-
Retribution: Trump calls for prosecution of critics
Feature Trump targets former officials who spoke out against him, sending a warning to future whistleblowers
By The Week US
-
El Salvador's CECOT prison becomes Washington's go-to destination
IN THE SPOTLIGHT Republicans and Democrats alike are clamoring for access to the Trump administration's extrajudicial deportation camp — for very different reasons
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
Supreme Court takes up Trump birthright appeal
Speed Read The New Jersey Attorney General said a constitutional right like birthright citizenship 'cannot be turned on or off at the whims of a single man'
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
Court slams Trump, senator visits Ábrego García
Speed Read The case 'should be shocking not only to judges' but all Americans with an 'intuitive sense of liberty'
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
The anger fueling the Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez barnstorming tour
Talking Points The duo is drawing big anti-Trump crowds in red states
By Joel Mathis, The Week US
-
Judge threatens Trump team with criminal contempt
Speed Read James Boasberg attempts to hold the White House accountable for disregarding court orders over El Salvador deportation flights
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US