Donald Trump isn’t a conventional politician who plays by Washington, D.C.’s rules.
He’s successfully used strategies that others were too afraid to try.
And Donald Trump has one secret weapon that left Democrats with a sinking feeling.
Donald Trump used podcasts and new media in his historic victory
President-elect Donald Trump had the biggest victory for a Republican candidate since the 1988 Election when he trounced Vice President Kamala Harris.
He swept all seven swing states, won the popular vote, and improved his margin in all 50 states compared to the 2020 Election.
An exit poll from the battleground state of Wisconsin found that Trump won voters aged 18-24.
Trump made major inroads with young men this election and turned out first-time and infrequent voters in this demographic.
He used interviews on podcasts to reach young men who don’t consume news through traditional sources.
These long-form interviews also humanized him by giving listeners a more personal insight into Trump.
UFC CEO Dana White, one of Trump’s top allies, gave podcasters who interviewed the President-elect a shout-out during his speech on election night at Trump’s victory celebration.
“I want to thank some people real quick,” White said. “I want to thank the Nelk Boys, Adin Ross, Theo Von, Boston, Bussin with the Boys, and last but not least, the mighty and powerful Joe Rogan.”
Trump’s first podcast appearance was with the Nelk Boys on their Full Send podcast in 2022.
He discussed his love of golf and favorite songs as well as traditional political topics.
Podcasts help turn out younger voters
Trump appeared on the Nelk Boys’ podcast again in August and the show launched a voter registration effort aimed at young voters called Send the Vote.
“Making a post on Instagram or making a tweet, that’s cool,” Nelk Boys member Kyle Forgeard said. “But every single one of you guys needs to register to vote, and you need to make your voice heard. Don’t be f***ing lazy, get your ballot in the mail, do whatever you got to do, plan around it.”
Send the Vote targeted more than 1.1 million men between the age of 18-35.
More than 200,000 first-time voters saw Send the Vote’s advertising and voted.
The group held tailgates before college football games and before concerts.
“Too many people in our country felt like their voice didn’t matter and that the barriers to making real change are too big to overcome,” Nelk Boys co-founder John Shahidi told Fox News Digital. “The goal of Send the Vote was to tear down those barriers and remind our audience that posting on social media does not count as a vote and they need to physically show up to vote. Sick of how much things cost? Go vote. Tired of unnecessary wars? Go vote – it’s not as difficult as they make it out to be.”
Trump appeared on more than a dozen major podcasts this election and his nontraditional media strategy appeared to have paid off.
He won men aged 18-44 by a 53% to 45% margin over Kamala, according to a Fox News Voter Survey.
Embracing new media allowed Donald Trump to bring his message to voters who would normally never hear it.
