Donald Trump has little regard for the “mainstream media”—and in this election, he may need it less than ever. In this tight race, both Trump and Harris have been making use of new media, doing less on traditional networks and relying on online talk shows, podcasts and other digital platforms to reach undecided Americans.
A large number of the voters they want to reach are the estimated eight million young people who are eligible to vote for the first time, and are expected to turn out in high numbers. Turnout among young voters in 2022 was the second highest for a midterm since the 1970s.
A decade ago, the political leanings of young men and women were aligned, with 27 per cent of men and 30 per cent of women identifying as liberal. Now, polling suggests they are split: young women are the most progressive group in American history, and many will have been mobilised by Trump’s anti-abortion position (the issue comes top among women aged 18-29) to back Harris. But young men are now increasingly conservative and pro-Trump. “Mr. Trump leads Ms. Harris among young men, 58 percent to 37 percent, across the last three Times/Siena national polls. Ms. Harris holds an even larger lead among young women, 67-28,” wrote Nate Cohn in the New York Times. Both candidates know that to reach these groups, they must go online.
On right-wing networks like Ben Shapiro’s Daily Wire, BlazeTV and Alex Jones’ Info Wars, Trump is portrayed as a sort of hypermasculine superhero. Such shows rose with Trumpism, and have since been perfecting an “outrage model” of entertainment, defending Trump’s lies to engage a profitable, devoted and notably young and influential audience. They now make tens of millions of dollars a year through lucrative subscription models, monetised YouTube clicks or merchandise sales, reaching more viewers than any US legacy news channel.
Yesterday, Republican vice-presidential candidate JD Vance was reportedly interviewed for the Joe Rogan Experience, a podcast with 14.5m Spotify followers and 17.5m YouTube subscribers; Trump appeared on the same show a week a few days ago. But the former president made his live-streaming debut in August from gold-trimmed Mar-A-Lago, his entrance set to the soundtrack of 50 Cent’s “Many Men.” He was hosted on the streaming platform Kick—now home to some of the most searched internet celebrities in the world—by Adin Ross, a now 23-year-old internet celebrity who rose to global prominence thanks to his on-air friendship with Andrew Tate. Earlier this year, Ross featured white nationalist Nick Fuentes on his show.
The young streamer seemed uncharacteristically quiet as Trump launched into a marathon monologue riddled with election conspiracies and attacks on the Hollywood elite. Once the interview concluded, they continued streaming from the patio of Trump’s residence. Ross gifted Trump a limited-edition Rolex and a Maga-themed Tesla Cybertruck before they both broke out dancing for the cameras. It is thought that this could amount to a campaign finance violation and in August, the Trump campaign said it would seek guidance from the Federal Election Commission.
The Nelk Boys, a group of streamers famous for their viral shock-humour pranks and Hollywood parties, are more closely connected with the Trump campaign. With over 20m followers across platforms, they generate hundreds of millions of dollars annually through merchandise sales, corporate partnerships, and monetised video content. They appear to exclusively target young men, and videos posted by the group include titles such as “Andrew Tate Stole Our Girl at the Club!” and “Eating Meat In A Vegan Restaurant”.
In the past year, the Nelk Boys have developed a surprising interest in politics, and now champion Trump as America’s saviour, while depicting Harris as a member of the sinister "deep-state" establishment. Their X page suddenly became saturated with pro-Trump content over the summer, including aggressive attack ads aimed at Harris. Much of this material is reposted by Trump.
This is part of a coordinated political strategy. The Nelk Boys are working with Trump allies to reach young audiences and help raise $20m for a Trump-linked super PAC called “Send The Vote”. One co- founder of the “Send the Vote” PAC, John Shahidi, is also the president of a Nelk spin-off brand called Full Send. He and other Full Send staffers were recently photographed aboard Trump’s private plane alongside Trump’s most loyal strategists and advisers. The collaboration is a striking example of political astroturfing: Nelk rallies youth support for Trump with a veneer of “grassroots” legitimacy, when in reality they are much more closely connected to Trump than many of their viewers may realise.
The Harris campaign is also making a concerted effort to reach young people through new media. Until early September, Harris resisted giving a substantial interview to the mainstream press. At the time, this felt like a well-calculated strategy; she could let Trump shape his own political narrative, knowing his media exposure would only result in a surge of controversial—or “weird”—moments that might turn off swing voters. But after Harris was criticised for failing to give a sit-down interview, her campaign changed pace.
Harris has made a point of targeting networks and shows that Trump just won’t go near, sharing a beer with Stephen Colbert on CBS, appearing in an online town hall with Charlamagne tha God (who has openly called Trump a fascist), and making a surprise appearance on the “Call Her Daddy” podcast, which is usually focused on female empowerment and sharing sex advice.
The vice president has also tapped into Taylor Swift’s popularity—over half of US adults identify as fans—by installing billboards featuring the pop star nationwide. This is a significant force for the Harris campaign: Swifties for Kamala has more than 3,500 volunteers and has raised more than $165,000 (£126,000) since 1st August.
In the final week of the election, the race remains tight nationwide and in swing states. In the podcast space, Trump has found he can avoid journalistic scrutiny while amplifying his lies and rallying the “bro vote”. Harris has made strides here too, and clearly recognises that energising young voters—especially young women—will be equally vital to her presidential ambitions. The question is which candidate has a stable base among youth who are genuinely likely to vote—not just those with a YouTube account.
