‘Let me show you how to exploit podcasts’

Now we should admit that his “open” attitude toward podcasts reflects his ability to read the public psychology and sense the changing media environment.

AHN CHAK-HEEThe author is the head of the global cooperation team at the JoongAng Ilbo. Donald Trump had a landslide victory in the U.S. presidential election last week. He must have been one of the busiest people in the world. Trump toured the vast country and appealed to the voters to “Make America Great Again.”

Interestingly, he spent a considerable amount of time appearing on podcasts at the end of the campaign when every minute counted. Trump appeared on podcasts 14 times since June and eight times just in October shortly before the election. It ended up being a winning strategy.

On Oct. 25, just 11 days before the election, Trump left the campaign trail and flew to Austin, Texas, to appear on the Joe Rogan Experience. The three-hour interview was immediately played more than 38 million times. It broke the record of the most played podcast of the decade. The record even surprised host Joe Rogan, who has more than 30 million subscribers on YouTube and Spotify.

During the unedited interview, Trump talked to the host about a variety of topics — including Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris, the 2020 presidential election he refused to concede, tariffs and immigration issues, mixed martial arts, Tesla CEO Elon Musk and UFOs — in a comfortable and friendly mood. Of course, he used some expletives here and there.

Trump was connecting with the main audience of the podcast, young male voters. When talking to Rogan about mixed martial arts, which he was an expert at, Trump unexpectedly listened to him and complimented his achievements. Trump unexpectedly showed a rare side of himself on the podcast.

In the interview, Trump said that he didn’t know much about the world of podcasts, but his 18-year-old son Barron persuaded him to appear on such shows. Trump even promoted the image of a caring father who listens to his son. It was later revealed that Trump’s interactions with influencers during the campaign was also inspired by Barron.

Of course, he is considered to have chosen a podcast — which is relatively free and friendly — to avoid the uncomfortable situations of conventional networks and cable news channels fact-checking and pointing out his errors. The 78-year-old Republican candidate’s old age was one of the controversies of the election. Now we should admit that his “open” attitude toward podcasts reflects his ability to read the public psychology and sense the changing media environment.