Political Podcasting: Strategies of Harris and Trump for Voter Appeal

Political candidates are leveraging podcasts to connect with niche voter demographics ahead of a pivotal election.

### The Podcasting Race: Trump and Harris Target Key Voter Demographics Ahead of Election
* 🎙 Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump have been actively engaging with voters through various podcasts, a strategy **not seen in previous election cycles**.
* 📊 Currently, **20 states** have implemented Trump abortion bans, influencing the political landscape as both candidates seek to **appeal to different voter groups**.
* 👩 Harris recently appeared on Alex Cooper's "Call Her Daddy," targeting **Gen Z women**, a demographic that has seen **over four million new registered voters** since the 2022 midterms.
* 🗣 In response to criticism from Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Harris emphasized the importance of women uplifting each other, stating, "**there are a whole lot of women out here who are not aspiring to be humble**."
* 🎤 Additionally, Harris is focusing on Black men, a group where Democrats have historically **excelled**, by discussing policies like **forgivable loans for Black entrepreneurs** on "The Breakfast Club."
* 📈 Meanwhile, Trump is courting young male voters through podcasts like those with Aiden Ross and Logan Paul, where he **avoids discussing policy** and instead **connects on a personal level**.
* 💬 Trump shared personal stories about addiction on Theo Von's podcast, aiming to **resonate with Southern and rural men affected by substance abuse**, a demographic **crucial for his campaign**.
* 🗳 As election day approaches, both candidates are aware that their podcast appearances could **significantly influence voter turnout**, with current polls indicating **extremely close margins**.

- She's the worst vice president ever. He's the worst president ever. A deadly combination. - There are now 20 states with Trump abortion bans. - In the past few months, Vice President Harris and former President Trump have been on a podcasting blitz. - Apparently, I'm 40 seconds late. You're right. - Well, you are Black, so... - President of the United States, I said. - Who was it? That's Joe Biden wanting to do an interview. - They've been all over the place, in our ears, appearing on a range of programs, and that is not something we've seen in the past few election cycles. That's because the media landscape has been turned upside down. Political candidates see much more benefit in going right to listeners wherever they are in a way to circumvent the traditional legacy media. Now, which podcasts they're appearing on and what they're saying, and especially, what they're not saying

should tell us a lot about the message they're seeking to deliver in the final weeks leading up to the election. Let's start with Vice President Harris. Harris reached out to listeners when she appeared on Alex Cooper's Call Her Daddy podcast in early October. The show's audience is overwhelmingly Gen Z women, a group that represents over four million new registered voters since the 2022 midterm elections. Cooper asked Harris about a dig from Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders. - I saw the governor of Arkansas said, My kids keep me humble. Unfortunately, Kamala Harris doesn't have anything keeping her humble. How did that make you feel? - I don't think she understands that there are a whole lot of women out here who, one, are not aspiring to be humble. Two, a whole lot of women out here who have a lot of love in their life, family in their life, and children in their life,

and I think it's really important for women to lift each other up. Harris is already doing well with young female voters, but here she's appealing directly to Gen Z female voters because she wants to try to offset the male vote that's expected to come in overwhelmingly for former President Trump. Harris is also trying to appeal to another niche voter group: Black men. This is one where Democrats have traditionally done very well, but former President Trump has made surprising inroads in the past year. So she went on Charlamagne Tha God's podcast, The Breakfast Club. - You've been criticized by him and others for your lack of engagement to the Black church. Knowing that the Black church is an unrivaled place in the heart of Black people, what could you speak to as it relates to a future Harris administration? - Donald Trump and his followers spend full time trying to suggest that the measure of the strength of a leader is based on who you beat down,

which is absolutely contrary to the church I know. - He sells Bibles though. - Where our church and my church is about saying true leadership, the measure of that is based on who you lift up. And right. And then he's selling $60 Bibles (both laughing) or tennis shoes and trying to play people as though that makes him more understanding of the Black community. Come on. - Democrats are concerned that Black men will not turn out to vote for Harris the same way that young Black women will turn out to vote for Harris, and so she's appealing directly to these young Black men in the podcast. A few days before this appearance, she rolled out a policy platform that she hoped would appeal directly to Black men. This includes a new forgivable loan program for Black entrepreneurs and the opportunity for multiple apprenticeships in the economy. Similarly, Trump is trying to appeal directly to young male voters, especially those

who are extremely online and might be more inclined to be independent or libertarian. These are people who often don't turn out to vote. He's targeting them by appearing on podcasts like Aiden Ross, the Belk Boys. - This election might be the most important election in US history. - And Logan Paul, but what's particularly interesting is the thing he's not talking about on these podcasts: policy. - You ever been in a fistfight, Mr. President? - Probably not. I've been like little duels, nothing like that. (Logan laughing) I mean, I'd like to say, Yeah, I fought my way through school. I went through, I fought my way out of the Wharton School of Finance. I fought my... But, you know, we didn't have a lot of fighters. - [Host] Yeah. - Trump may feel like talking differently to young men talking the way you talk.

to friends when you're playing golf, when you're hanging out, when you're just goofing around, that that's the kind of connection that these voters will need to bring them to the polls in November. Trump is also looking to appeal to Southern and rural men who may be impacted by alcoholism and opioid abuse. Trump spoke on Theo Von this past weekend about his older brother's battle with alcoholism and about Theo's recovery from addiction. - His name was Fred, Fred Trump, and he had a problem with alcohol. He got addicted to it because it's... And, you know, they say alcohol is tougher than drugs to get off of. I don't know if you've ever heard that. - Yeah, I'm in recovery actually. I've been in recovery so like most of the last 10 years. - From alcohol? - From drugs and alcohol - Which is worse? - For me, drugs is the problem. - The reason it's good talking about it

is it might help other people. If it helps one other person, it's worth the conversation. - A growing number of Americans have been impacted by addiction, and Trump received praise for going on this program and listening to Von and empathizing with his struggles. This young male demographic is gonna be incredibly important for Trump. He tends to be polling poorly with women, so the more men he can turn out to vote, that increases his chances of winning. As we get closer to election day, both Trump and Harris are gonna be doing everything they can to turn out the vote. Current polling shows razor-thin margins. That means that every appearance they make, every podcast they talk on, that could be the difference between winning and losing. These podcasts could determine who is the next president of the United States. (pensive music)

What Harris and Trump Podcast Appearances Say About Their Campaigns | WSJ

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The Wall Street Journal

Vice President Harris and former President Trump have been heavily promoting themselves through podcasts in recent months.

Their appearances on various programs aim to directly reach listeners and bypass traditional media.

Harris targeted Gen Z women by appearing on Alex Cooper's Call Her Daddy podcast, addressing criticism from Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders.

Kamala Harris is focusing on Gen Z female voters to offset the expected male vote for Trump and is also trying to engage Black men, a traditionally strong Democratic group.

She addressed her lack of engagement with the Black church and emphasized the importance of lifting others up as true leadership.

Harris has rolled out a policy platform aimed at Black men, offering forgivable loans for entrepreneurs and multiple apprenticeships, while Trump is also targeting young male voters.

Trump's Targeting Strategy for Young Voters

Trump is focusing on extremely online individuals who are independent or libertarian and often don't vote.

He is using podcasts to connect with them, emphasizing a casual and relatable approach.

Additionally, he is appealing to Southern and rural men affected by alcoholism and opioid abuse, sharing personal stories to create a connection.

Trump's Impact on Addiction and Young Voters

Trump's conversation with Von, who has struggled with addiction, received praise and may help him connect with the important young male demographic.

With poor polling among women, increasing male voter turnout is crucial for Trump's chances of winning.

As the election day approaches, both Trump and Harris will be focused on maximizing their voter turnout, making every appearance and podcast potentially decisive in the election.