Trump taps into new media and rise in youth conservatism

Politicians are turning to podcasters and commentators to appeal to a younger generation leaning towards conservative politics, writes John Turnbull.

“COCAINE WILL TURN YOU into a damn owl, homie,” is not the sort of line you expect to hear in an interview with a presidential candidate, even if the candidate in question is President-elect Donald Trump.

The line was spoken by podcaster Theo Von, one of a select group of (generally) young men credited for energising unengaged voters and swinging the Election in favour of the 78-year-old candidate.

From The New York Times:

‘In the two months leading up to the election, Trump sat for conversations with at least eight podcasters and streamers — all male, many under 35, notionally politically curious, sometimes puerile and unserious, and sometimes spiteful and scabrous.’

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In addition to Von, Trump sat down with Canadian pranksters the Nelk Boys, Andrew Tate adjacent streamer Adin Ross, energy drink wrestler Logan Paul, LIV golfer Bryson DeChambeau, and the most listened-to podcaster in the world, Joe Rogan.

Spending almost three hours with the former MMA commentator, Trump doubled down on claims of stolen elections and regaled millions of listeners with pithy quotes like:

“The biggest mistake I made was I picked some people... I picked some great people, you know, but... I picked a few people that I shouldn't have picked. Neocons. Yeah, neocons or bad people or disloyal people.”

It’s worth pointing out that rival candidate and Vice President Kamala Harris also hit the podcast circuit, including Club Shae Shae (hosted by Superbowl footballer Shannon Sharpe) and Call Her Daddy, the female-skewed podcast destined to be known as ‘the second biggest podcast on Spotify (behind Joe Rogan)’. The problem with this is that most of the listeners to these podcasts were already pretty much on Harris’ side and her folksy, down-home approach didn’t convince anyone who wasn’t already committed.

A generation divided

The podcasts selected by Trump’s team (including significant input from his 18-year-old son Barron) were chosen to reach young men who were generally dissatisfied with their place in life. Globally, this is not an uncommon story.

For the first time in generations, young men are becoming more conservative than their parents. This represents a significant divergence within Generation Z, with young women adopting more liberal views compared to their male counterparts.

From Financial Times:

In countries on every continent, an ideological gap has opened up between young men and women. Tens of millions of people who occupy the same cities, workplaces, classrooms and even homes no longer see eye-to-eye. In the U.S., Women aged 18-30 are now 30 percentage points more liberal than their male contemporaries... in the UK the gap is 25 points. In Poland last year, almost half of men aged 18-21 backed the hard-Right Confederation Party, compared to just a sixth of young women the same age.

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Research from the UK shows that around a third of young men believe it’s harder to be a woman (compared to 68 per cent of women), believe that the phrase “toxic masculinity” is not helpful, and think that in 20 years it will be more difficult to be a man. Breaking down the factors that have caused this divide, many academics suggest that social media plays a significant role.

As reported in The Guardian:

‘As more young men fall down a social media rabbit hole filled with sexist content, young women have become increasingly politicised and vocal about progressive issues, particularly feminism. Where older generations shared formative experiences together, younger people now have more fragmented lives because of these disparate digital spaces.’

Could it happen here?

There is no doubt that social channels will play a significant role in upcoming election campaigns. While it would be overly simplistic to dub this “the first podcast election” as some outlets have rushed to do, it is worth considering the medium's role in upcoming Australian elections.

Looking at the top ten podcasts in Australia, it’s pretty clear that conservative voices don’t have the same dominance as international (U.S.) charts.

With light entertainment, true crime and human interest podcasts attracting audiences comparable to prime-time TV, the only real conservative voice (wrapped in a blanket of news) sneaks in at number ten.

Putting aside the centrist (or generally politically disinterested) leanings of the major Australian podcasts, one also must consider the individuals involved.

Say what you like about the President-elect, but he is a skilled media operator with a level of charisma that few can match. While he may ascribe to the same conservative politics, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton cannot claim the same media skills or charisma.

Equally, the thought of Albo sitting down for a chat about his sex life with Abbie Chatfield (ranked #14) fills me with dread, while former detective Gary Jubelin (ranked #15) may uncover things that candidates may prefer left hidden.