This past election had a new generation of young, radical voters who skewed popular opinion in both directions. In order to hone in on the new wave of voters, presidential candidates had to find a productive way to gain the attention of a new generation. As the race for the next U.S. President comes to a close, many people are looking back at how the candidates utilized Gen-Z-dominated platforms to promote their stance. This was done productively through social media, specifically, popular podcasts. 

Social media’s influence on almost every aspect of life has only grown and grown. This growth has become the most apparent during the 2024 Presidential Election. In past elections, the only form of media that was utilized to promote a candidate’s platform was television. This was mainly through interviews and commercials aired on main TV channels. Now, the presidential candidates utilized a new wave of entertainment that Gen Z has turned to: podcasts. 

Vice President Kamala Harris recently was invited for an interview on one of the most popular podcast shows “Call Her Daddy” by Alex Cooper, which is targeted towards young women and is focused on interviewing famous people. Utilizing the same interview style she utilizes with all guests, Cooper focused on Harris’s position on main policies. Since the audience of this podcast episode is mainly women, she especially honed in on abortion rights, domestic violence, and student debt in America. 

In the interview, Harris ended with, “But the bottom line is this. I believe in the promise of America. I have not been able to be the first in every position that I’ve had, were it not for the promise of America. I believe in our country. I love our country.” Harris utilized the podcast to reach out to a specific audience to try to gain their vote. Paige McFarland, CCHS senior and first-time voter, listened to this episode: “Since I was already familiar with Trump’s policies, I used this episode with Harris to learn more about her policies. I wish she talked about more than just her policies directed towards women, so I can learn beyond that.” 

Similarly, former president and now president-elect Donald Trump joined Logan Paul on his podcast “Impulsive.” At the time when the podcast aired, Joe Biden was still running as his opponent. Trump, just like Harris, wanted to connect with young voters. Unlike Harris, Trump focused on topics that do not relate to his policies. He mainly spoke with Paul about pop culture and A.I. Many listeners assumed that he would talk about his policies for this election, yet, did not really cover any. Sven Chuppa, a senior and new voter, listened to the podcast: “I felt that the podcast took away from promoting his policies and leaned more towards entertainment.” 

Both candidates utilized social media in order to reach out to the new generation of voters. This way, young people could be informed about both the quality of their character and their platforms. The influence of podcasts on future presidential elections remains to be seen, but as of now, it seems a new generation of politics has arrived.