At 6’9”, Barron Trump towers above most people. The 18-year-old who voted for the first time this year appears to have played a crucial role in getting his father, Donald Trump Jr., back in the White House for a second term. Barron was charged with running his father’s podcast strategy, and he got Donald Trump to appear on the ‘Joe Rogan Experience’ (JRE), which eventually led to the host endorsing him. 

Podcasts played a significant role in getting Trump re-elected, as Americans sought alternative sources of information away from mainstream media to gain new perspectives. It did not help that Vice President Kamala Harris was interview-shy and seemed unable to discuss key policy issues in a way that resonated with Americans. She was seen as the continuity of a system that had ushered in high inflation and eroded ordinary Americans’ ability to save. 

Trump had podcasts with all manner of podcasters, from Wrestler Mark Callaway ‘The Undertaker’ to comedians Joe Rogan, Andrew Schulz, Theo Von, Adin Ross and Lex Friedman, a well-known computer scientist, and Logan Paul. Each of these podcasts chalks millions of views, and each has its listeners, allowing Trump to reach a variety of people. 

His son is credited with arranging his appearance on JRE, which racked up over 26 million views within the first 24 hours on YouTube, making it one of Rogan’s most listened-to podcasts. The JRE is the most-watched podcast in the world. It has 14.5 million Spotify followers and 17.5 million YouTube subscribers. But even before Trump showed up on JRE, Elon Musk, who camped in Pennsylvania to campaign for Trump after he noted that it was crucial to Trump winning the election, appeared on the show to talk about his endorsement of the president-elect. This show aired in September was the most viewed JRE episode with over 68 million views.

The rise and rise of podcasts

Podcasts have doubled in listenership since 2018 and are becoming increasingly popular. In 2024, the number of global podcast listeners reached 546.7 million, marking a 7.85% increase from the previous year. Looking ahead, projections estimate that by 2027, the global podcast audience will reach 651.7 million. 

Podcast listenership has grown worldwide over recent years due to their on-demand convenience, where they can be listened to anywhere in the world, and listeners can tailor them to their needs. 

There are diverse content and niche topics, with hosts often being experts in their subject area. In the ‘Huberman Lab Podcast’, Dr. Andrew Huberman is a neuroscientist and former professor of neurobiology at Stanford University. His specialities are neuroscience and ophthalmology. Experts in various fields are capitalising on podcasts to share knowledge and get to niche audiences who want in-depth information on 

Podcasts also have global reach, accessibility, and flexible advertising models. Hosts adopt a more conversational and personal approach, making them appear warmer and leading to the development of listener communities.  

Tapping into this community politically is, therefore, a way to reach diverse audiences in a relaxed manner that does not appear scripted, as in the case of Elon Musk, who smoked marijuana and drank whisky with his host, Rogan, as he discussed Trump. Vice President Harris also appeared on a number of podcasts but was unable to make JRE work due to logistical problems.

While other factors contributed greatly to Donald Trump’s re-election, his appearances on podcasts helped people change their perspective on him. Many users on X.com and other online platforms have said they voted for Trump after listening to a podcast and realising they were getting a very limited understanding of the incoming president from mainstream media. The tone in these kinds of conversations can allow listeners a peek into the more mundane aspects of a politician that the reporting format of mainstream media shows may not allow. Podcasts are also a way to tap into younger voters, agemates of Barron Trump, who are always on headphones listening to music or podcasts.

The podcast playbook will not go unnoticed and is bound to be adopted in other countries by other politicians as they seek to see similar benefits to those gained by Trump, who praised his son on JRE for introducing him to podcasters he says he was totally unaware about until Barron mentioned them.