Will Trump's Second Term be the Podcast Presidency?

The 2024 Presidential Election was called the “podcast election,” and with good reason. The election saw both major party candidates appearing on multiple top-ranked podcasts, including Trump on “The Joe Rogan Experience” and Harris on “Call Her Daddy.”

This was a significant change in the number of podcasts candidates appeared on considering Barack Obama appeared on only one podcast in 2015 while serving as POTUS. Trump was wise to listen to his son Baron and appear on podcasts as the strategy no doubt helped him, especially his three-hour talk with Rogan late in the campaign.

If 2024 was the “podcast election,” the second term of Trump could become the “Podcast Presidency.”  

Imagine it’s September 2025, and Trump press secretary Karoline Leavitt is holding a press briefing. As the credential reporters take their seats, Joe Rogan, Tucker Carlson, and Megyn Kelly grab some open chairs in the front row.

Donald Trump Jr. suggested in a podcast that he has talked with his Dad about considering adding podcasters and independent journalists to the credentials list.

The way Americans receive news has changed thanks to social media, podcasts, YouTube, and platforms like Substack. Pew Research reported recently that one in five Americans regularly gets news from news influencers on social media. According to the study, a news influencer is someone who posts about current events on social media with at least 100,000 followers on a social media platform.

With an increasing number of young and old Americans turning to online sources over traditional news media for news and information, I think it is time the press pool expands to include more independent journalists, including news influencers, but with restrictions.  

As with journalists from traditional media organizations, digital journalists should meet similar criteria, including demonstrating that a majority of their content covers news related to the White House. However, new criteria would also need to be added for independent journalists since they do not work for a news organization. Some criteria could include having a certain number of followers on social media or providing a list of samples of their work showing their journalist objectivity.

If podcasters and news influencers are credentialed, honest and objective content producers from both sides of the political podcast perspective should be included, not just those who agree with the president.

Regardless of the medium and whether it's a newspaper reporter, Substack writer, or podcaster, they should hold the powerful accountable because a strong, fair, honest media is important now more than ever for our country because there are so many bad actors spreading falsehoods online on both sides.

As an American, I just want the truth. Tell me what is really happening, not what I want to hear. Not what is best for my political team. If there are independent journalists online doing that, let them in. If traditional journalists are not doing that, make them give up their seats in the briefing room.

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Chad Whittle, Ph.D. is an assistant professor of mass communication at Georgia College & State University. He holds his Ph.D. from the University of Southern Mississippi. The opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of Georgia College & State University, its administration, faculty, or the University System of Georgia.