For politics, the age of the podcast has arrived – and the traditional media landscape is struggling to find its footing. While television interviews, newspaper columns, and blogs once dominated political communication, today’s savvy leaders are in podcast studios, speaking for hours in unfiltered conversations that reach millions.
Donald Trump’s podcast blitz during the 2024 US election campaign is an example of this. Guided by his Gen-Z son Barron, Trump appeared on podcasts including “The Joe Rogan Experience,” “This Past Weekend” with Theo Von, “Impaulsive” with Logan Paul, and “Flagrant” with Andrew Schulz, successfully connecting with millions of listeners, particularly young men who’ve abandoned mainstream news. His opponent Kamala Harris also tried the podcast route and focused on reaching a more diverse audience, appearing on “Call Her Daddy” with Alex Cooper, “Club Shay Shay” with Shannon Sharpe, and “Unlocking Us” with Brené Brown. However, Trump’s efforts had the most impressive impact. While both candidates used podcasts more than their predecessors, Trump’s approach proved more advantageous and contributed to his “extraordinary political resurrection.”
The podcast phenomenon can also be found outside the United States, of course. India’s Narendra Modi has likewise embraced the medium, making his podcast debut on entrepreneur Nikhil Kamath’s show “People By WTF” in January 2025. Rather than discussing policy points, Modi matched the informal format by mixing in personal stories from his childhood and political journey with his vision for India’s future. He made his way into American podcasting on the “Lex Fridman Podcast,” signaling a recognition that podcasts offer a way to reach the masses both in India and internationally. The Fridman conversation was three hours in length and Trump shared it via Truth Social, garnering more than one million views on YouTube within hours.
What makes podcasts a particularly potent tool for politics is their ability to encourage community involvement and engagement. Unlike traditional media’s primarily one-way communication, podcasts create spaces where politicians can speak directly to voters, appealing to younger listeners who often feel disconnected from conventional news sources.
These high-profile podcast appearances represent the latest wave in a larger transformation of political communications. The rise of political podcasts represents a significant evolution in media and politics, offering a new avenue for engagement while challenging the relevance of traditional media formats. Podcasting has emerged as a transformative medium within the political landscape, fundamentally altering how politicians engage with constituents and how audiences consume political content. Podcasting started to take off in the early 2000s and the medium has since experienced a meteoric rise in popularity, particularly in politics as a way to connect with voters in an informal and personal manner.
Podcasts are rewriting our political playbook while nobody’s watching the referees.
Podcasts provide a space for unfiltered dialogue that is often absent from traditional media. Studies indicate that younger audiences are increasingly relying on podcasts for news and analysis, signaling a shift in how political narratives are constructed and disseminated. The rise of podcasts means it is important to examine how information – especially political – is consumed and shared. These platforms have evolved beyond mere alternatives to traditional media channels to become distinctive media channels with unique characteristics that set them apart in both their function and impact on the audience.
Data reveals a generational divide in media consumption patterns. Gen Z is the group that spends most of its time online, and consumers aged 25-34 are the biggest consumers of podcasts: 24.2% listen daily, and their favorite genres are comedy and sports, while 39% of Americans listen to podcasts weekly.
This is a demographic advantage for politicians seeking to target young voters in an increasingly fragmented media landscape, not to mention a political climate that is becoming increasingly divided. Beyond mere reach, podcasts foster a more participatory experience. They allow listeners to engage through comments, content sharing, and community discussions, often enhanced by algorithms that suggest material based on individual preferences. This personalization creates loyal listener communities around specific political perspectives and policy areas.
Podcasts are also accessible and affordable. While traditional media can incur significant expenses in printing, broadcasting, and staffing, podcasts require minimal investment – typically just recording equipment and a good internet connection. This democratization of content creation allows for a wider diversity of voices and underrepresented individuals to share their insights and stories. This is in contrast also with traditional media’s subscription fees and even geographic limitations. However, this accessibility of podcasts can come at the cost of content quality and reliability. Traditional news organizations operate within proven editorial standards, fact-checking processes, and professional journalistic practices.
In addition, the podcast format has further expanded with the integration of video elements alongside audio content. According to Tegan Bratcher of the Hussman School of Journalism and Media, podcasts now function as “information environments” where people receive “a great deal of information compared to other media like radio, online news, and television.” Bratcher’s research also finds that those who listen to large amounts of podcasts have higher levels of personal politics. While podcasts provide media organizations optimism that they may reestablish ties with the public through a new medium at a time when public faith in news is at an all-time low, the audio-only format can contribute to blurring the line between reporting and opinion as listeners struggle to hear the difference between heavily-researched journalism and gossip-based conjecture.
Furthermore, the relationship-building aspect of podcasts is significant for politics. The medium offers authentic and conversational dynamism, according to Khanh Ly Tranová and Anastasia Veneti of Bournemouth University, while allowing leaders to curate the communication to create a sense of attachment and belonging. Their research applies political relationship marketing theory to show how podcasts create new ways for politicians to connect with voters. Through focus groups with Czech youth, Tranová and Veneti found that political podcasts build stronger relationships because they feel authentic, conversational, and personal. Young listeners reported feeling more connected to politicians who use this format, suggesting podcasts offer an effective way to engage citizens emotionally.
Of course, the increased use of podcasts in political communication also brings risks. The medium can be used to easily spread – whether on purpose or not — misinformation and further polarization. Richard Hand and Danielle Hancock of the University of East Anglia explore in “Beware the Untruths” how two horror podcasts reflect and engage with contemporary anxieties about misinformation, fear, and societal distrust in a post-truth era. While some podcasts may unintentionally amplify paranoia, others critically comment on media manipulation, challenging listeners to question the blurred lines between fact and fiction.
The algorithmic nature of podcast distribution, and within the structures of social media in general, can worsen these concerns of driving misinformation and polarization, particularly because they often prioritize sensational content. Furthermore, when recommendation systems suggest content similar to what listeners already consume, they can create echo chambers with users finding themselves in ideologically homogenous groups. According to the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, podcast listeners skew towards being young, wealthy, and well-educated, while those listening to news and political programs are disproportionately male, partly because of the preponderance of male hosts. News podcasting continues to be a bright spot for publishers, and many plan to add more podcast offerings.
Drawing together these research findings and political trends, we can now consider the fundamental question facing democratic societies in this new era of political communication. Here, podcasts are rewriting our political playbook while nobody’s watching the referees – there’s no oversight or accountability for those who are supposed to be maintaining standards or enforcing rules. Of course, traditional news has always had its own set of problems, but in general traditional journalists tend to abide by a certain code and they answer to editors. When a popular podcaster riffs for three hours with a politician – and both are most interested in pleasing the audience – where is there room for someone to keep score on facts versus fiction?
Why are people now seemingly more trusting of podcast hosts than journalists and outlets with decades of reporting experience? Because Joe Rogan feels like a trusted friend or neighbor, while a long read in The Economist or The New York Times might feel like homework.
Podcasts look like they are here to stay. President Trump figured that out, Prime Minister Modi is catching on. Every politician with ambition will follow. So, the question is: how can we keep this new frontier from turning into a post-truth nightmare? And do so when many voters apparently prefer the comfort of hosts who never challenge their views.
The future probably isn’t podcasts completely replacing journalism or vice versa. It’s about making tougher choices about the media we consume and why. Democracy has always required work from citizens – and now that work includes being smarter about what goes into our ears during our commutes and our workouts.
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