Latest news with #TrumpCampaign
Forbes
10 hours ago
- Business
- Forbes
How Creators Turned Political Campaigns Into The Ultimate Battleground
The 2024 U.S. Presidential election, apart from being a seismic result in favor of former and current President Trump, marked a major change in the business of campaigns. The first time utilization and mobilization of major content creators by both party machines was immortalized at Trump's election victory party at Mar a-Lago by the UFC Founder Dana White in his deep praise of the prominent Podcasters instrumental in tipping the scales and delivering the winning campaign when she stated: 'I want to thank the NELK Boys, Adin Ross, Theo Von, Bussin' With The Boys. And last but not least, the mighty and powerful Joe Rogan'. The business of politics and campaigns - like a number of legacy industries, is now played out on the distribution platform that is relevant: social media. People under 40 years of age rush away from linear television, newspapers and radio airwaves that once defined media consumption. Online streaming grew to account for 40% of U.S. TV usage – in comparison to cable television sitting at an anemic 27%. Newspaper circulation dropped by 12.7% in 2024 Audio numbers have grown with the rise of Spotify and Apple Music and those consuming podcasts through video (like on Youtube). Seventy percent of Americans above the age of 12 have listened to a podcast, and 73% above the age of12 have consumed a podcast in audio form or video — underscoring the growth of the medium as a means of messaging and entertainment. The relatively nascent Twitter app was used during Obama's first run for the presidency to acquire new audiences and disseminate new messaging. Now, it's owned by the world's wealthiest man: Elon Musk. His change of heart around President Trump aside, the election result remains the same. and now along with Truth Social are the preeminent presidential mouthpieces and appear set to be the main standards of announcement around the office of the White House throughout this presidential term. While so many people became obsessed over the first presidential race to be set in the heart of the AI revolution – it was audio and YouTube that created the intimate bond to voters. Over the course of 2024, both Trump and Democratic candidate Kamala Harris traded podcast and YouTube appearances on the aforementioned NELK Boys, Adin Ross, Theo Von and perhaps most prominently the world's biggest podcaster Joe Rogan where he preferred a more 'unscripted' style approach to win voters. Harris, on the other hand, sat down with Call Her Daddy host Alex Cooper and reportedly turned down an appearance on Rogan wanting the Texas based podcaster to come to Washington. She also appeared on 'All the Smoke' with former NBA players Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson while completing interviews with Howard Stern and Charlamagne tha God. The contrasting publicity choices seems to tell a very clear story. The Joe Rogan and Trump podcast amassed 59 million views on YouTube and his sit-down with Theo Von amassed another 16 million views. By comparison, Kamala Harris's effort with Cooper contrastingly didn't crack 1 million views and sits, at the time of publication, at a comparatively meagre 992,000. These YouTube view counts don't even factor in the many 'cut downs' versions of the films that were distributed as bite sized pieces on platforms like Tik Tok, Instagram and YouTube shorts. Beyond the presidential race, the hotly contested New York democratic primary race between former governor Andrew Cuomo and the fast-rising underdog Assembly member Zohran Mamdani has seen one candidate embrace both Instagram and Tik Tok for his campaign messaging. Delivering made-for-platform short form clips of the 33-year-old interviewing regular people on the street and speaking in Hindi with smash cuts of Bollywood films as well as collaborations with pages like the Gaydar Show humorously talking about LGBTQI specific issues and popular creators like Hasan Piker to illustrate relatability and authenticity over more scripted and polished fair which traditional politicians tend to embrace. Mamdani counts over 600,000 followers on Instagram and 275,000 on Tik Tok whilst his chief opposition Cuomo held a relatively meagre 196,000 on Instagram and 2600 on Tik Tok, With a victory in the democratic primary, Mamdani's embracing of social, short form and creators surged past the more well established and better funded Cuomo. The unapologetic embracing of social platforms and creators has also resulted in a record $8 Million raised from donors to help continue the slick social messaging push to November's General Mayoral election. The US election cycle is now fully embracing this new standard of message distribution as each Party battles to get its propaganda in front of new and ever evolving audiences. Mark my words, as more and more content creators develop into the podcast world, YouTube and Live Streaming – it's clear that they hold more sway than ever before. Multiple talent managers who represent talent that have completed content partnerships with both sides of the political aisle reinforced the sentiment that the growth of political spending on creators represents the most tangible way to access younger voters who have long since tuned out of legacy media. As you would expect, campaign finances are also being distributed very differently today as well. $5.5 billion was spent on the Presidential campaign in 2024 and that number trebled to $15.9 billion with congressional races factored in too. Daniel Bee, a Publicist and Communications expert in Los Angeles said: 'It's pretty safe to say we should anticipate continued growth in political spending in the USA and that a huge chunk of that money will be spent working closer with content creators and their huge and growing audiences. You have to meet the audiences where they are'. The mass spending begs the question where future campaign dollars will be funneled off the back of the growth of Podcast and social media appearances for candidates. Paid ads on social media are nothing new but it opens up the high likelihood of more and more money being spent on Podcast appearances, sponsored creator content, political rallies featuring more creators and livestreams are set to become part of the fabric of campaigning for years to come. Will 2028 bring the first Presidential Mr. Beast games…only time will tell
Russia Today
2 days ago
- Politics
- Russia Today
Trump tells Republicans to ‘kill' top US state media outlet
US President Donald Trump has called on Republicans to support his campaign to dismantle the state-funded news outlet Voice of America (VOA). Launched in 1942 to counter Nazi propaganda during World War II, the broadcaster later served as a key vehicle for pro-American messaging during the Cold War. Trump has argued, however, that VOA has in recent decades veered toward partisanship, and vowed to shut it down as part of his broader push to eliminate wasteful government spending. 'Why would a Republican want Democrat 'mouthpiece' Voice of America (VOA) to continue? It's a TOTAL, LEFTWING DISASTER — No Republican should vote for its survival. KILL IT!' the president wrote on his Truth Social platform on Wednesday. Earlier that day, Trump's senior adviser Kari Lake told the House Foreign Affairs Committee that the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM), which oversees VOA, was 'rotten to the core' and should be reshaped to align with Trump's 'America First' agenda. Committee Chairman Brian Mast described USAGM as 'a cesspool of spies, lies, and mismanagement' that 'has promoted the very propaganda it was created to defeat.' He accused the agency of hiring foreign nationals, many of whom he said were 'quite literally, security risks.' Lake, who has been tasked by Trump with overseeing the dismantling of the agency, said last week that nearly 640 full-time staffers and more than 500 contractors had been laid off at USAGM and VOA. Democrats and press freedom advocates have criticized the move. 'The wholesale destruction of public media outlets like Voice of America represents an unprecedented gift from Trump to the dictatorial censorship regimes in countries like China and Iran,' said Clayton Weimers, executive director of Reporters Without Borders USA.
Washington Post
6 days ago
- Politics
- Washington Post
Trump is in danger of repeating Bush's Middle East mistakes
Matthew Duss, a former foreign policy adviser to Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont), is executive vice president of the Center for International Policy. Sohrab Ahmari is the U.S. editor of UnHerd. In 2016, Donald Trump vaulted past his opponents in the Republican primary — and past former secretary of state Hillary Clinton — while lambasting America's post-9/11 wars as a 'disaster.' In 2020, Joe Biden placed opposition to Mideast forever wars at the center of his appeal and won over a national majority to be elected president. And last year's triumphant Trump campaign doubled down on these themes, with the GOP platform pledging to 'prevent World War III.'
Yahoo
20-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
How Black conservative leaders aim to build the next generation in Washington
Seeking to harness what it sees as the momentum of the 2024 presidential election, the Black Conservative Federation is launching a two-day summit in Washington, D.C., next month aimed at bringing together Black conservatives and cultivating the next generation of leaders. The inaugural Black Conservative Federation Solution Summit will be held July 11-12, bringing together elected officials, influencers, policy experts and strategists for what organizers hope will be a series of "bold, solution-driven conversations" on the most urgent issues facing Black America today. "In this spirit of forward momentum during the Trump Administration, we are investing in the next generation of Black leaders who will define the future of our communities, our culture, and our country," Diante Johnson, the group's president and founder, said in a statement to ABC News. MORE: Leavitt can not say if Trump will mark Juneteenth Johnson previously served as the Trump campaign's North Carolina regional field director in 2016 and was a member of the Black Voices for Trump Advisory Board during the 2020 campaign. The summit comes after President Donald Trump made modest gains with Black voters nationwide in 2024, especially among young Black men, a key demographic for Democrats, according to the Associated Press. Black voters made up about 1 in 10 voters nationally in the last 2024 presidential election. Although roughly 8 in 10 Black voters supported Vice President Kamala Harris, that marked a dip from the roughly 9 in 10 who backed President Joe Biden just four years earlier. Trump, meanwhile, nearly doubled his support from 2020 among Black men under the age of 45 -- with about 3 in 10 backing him in 2024, compared to just 1 in 10 in 2020. The summit will focus on six key topics: artificial intelligence and its role in shaping the future; criminal justice reform and policy transformation; cryptocurrency and Black economic empowerment; strengthening the Black family; navigating modern cultural debates; and Gen Z's influence in politics and media. While several members of the Black Conservative Federation have gone on to work in the Trump administration and the broader conservative movement, organizers say the event is about more than short-term wins. It is designed to foster long-term talent and leadership development across the country, they say. "We are not only honoring the legacy of freedom, we're building on it. By mentoring emerging voices and expanding access to civic engagement, we're carrying the torch of progress with purpose," Johnson said. Among the featured speakers at the summit are Lynne Patton, deputy assistant to the president and director of minority outreach at the White House; Rep. Wesley Hunt of Texas; Anne Marie Wiley, former cast member of "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills"; Alex Smith, deputy assistant secretary at the U.S. Treasury Department; and Janiyah Thomas, former Black media director for the Trump campaign. The Trump "pardon czar" Alice Johnson will also be speaking to the group as will Death Row Records founder Michael Harris. Several high-profile Black conservative influencers are also slated to participate, including CJ Pearson, Xavier DuRousseau and members of The Carter Family, who stream videos on YouTube. MORE: Trump faces mounting pressure at home and abroad as he weighs options on Iran The Black Conservative Federation was initially founded as a political networking group for Black conservatives but has since expanded its mission to focus on diversifying the conservative movement and promoting conservative principles. The group emphasizes its work in political advocacy, outreach and civic engagement. Trump addressed the group during a Black History Month event in 2024, signaling a rise in the group's visibility within MAGA-era Republican circles. Its leadership includes Rep. Byron Donalds, who serves as chairman, and former NFL player Jack Brewer, the organization's current co-chairman.
Yahoo
20-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
How Black conservative leaders aim to build the next generation in Washington
Seeking to harness what it sees as the momentum of the 2024 presidential election, the Black Conservative Federation is launching a two-day summit in Washington, D.C., next month aimed at bringing together Black conservatives and cultivating the next generation of leaders. The inaugural Black Conservative Federation Solution Summit will be held July 11-12, bringing together elected officials, influencers, policy experts and strategists for what organizers hope will be a series of "bold, solution-driven conversations" on the most urgent issues facing Black America today. "In this spirit of forward momentum during the Trump Administration, we are investing in the next generation of Black leaders who will define the future of our communities, our culture, and our country," Diante Johnson, the group's president and founder, said in a statement to ABC News. MORE: Leavitt can not say if Trump will mark Juneteenth Johnson previously served as the Trump campaign's North Carolina regional field director in 2016 and was a member of the Black Voices for Trump Advisory Board during the 2020 campaign. The summit comes after President Donald Trump made modest gains with Black voters nationwide in 2024, especially among young Black men, a key demographic for Democrats, according to the Associated Press. Black voters made up about 1 in 10 voters nationally in the last 2024 presidential election. Although roughly 8 in 10 Black voters supported Vice President Kamala Harris, that marked a dip from the roughly 9 in 10 who backed President Joe Biden just four years earlier. Trump, meanwhile, nearly doubled his support from 2020 among Black men under the age of 45 -- with about 3 in 10 backing him in 2024, compared to just 1 in 10 in 2020. The summit will focus on six key topics: artificial intelligence and its role in shaping the future; criminal justice reform and policy transformation; cryptocurrency and Black economic empowerment; strengthening the Black family; navigating modern cultural debates; and Gen Z's influence in politics and media. While several members of the Black Conservative Federation have gone on to work in the Trump administration and the broader conservative movement, organizers say the event is about more than short-term wins. It is designed to foster long-term talent and leadership development across the country, they say. "We are not only honoring the legacy of freedom, we're building on it. By mentoring emerging voices and expanding access to civic engagement, we're carrying the torch of progress with purpose," Johnson said. Among the featured speakers at the summit are Lynne Patton, deputy assistant to the president and director of minority outreach at the White House; Rep. Wesley Hunt of Texas; Anne Marie Wiley, former cast member of "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills"; Alex Smith, deputy assistant secretary at the U.S. Treasury Department; and Janiyah Thomas, former Black media director for the Trump campaign. The Trump "pardon czar" Alice Johnson will also be speaking to the group as will Death Row Records founder Michael Harris. Several high-profile Black conservative influencers are also slated to participate, including CJ Pearson, Xavier DuRousseau and members of The Carter Family, who stream videos on YouTube. MORE: Trump faces mounting pressure at home and abroad as he weighs options on Iran The Black Conservative Federation was initially founded as a political networking group for Black conservatives but has since expanded its mission to focus on diversifying the conservative movement and promoting conservative principles. The group emphasizes its work in political advocacy, outreach and civic engagement. Trump addressed the group during a Black History Month event in 2024, signaling a rise in the group's visibility within MAGA-era Republican circles. Its leadership includes Rep. Byron Donalds, who serves as chairman, and former NFL player Jack Brewer, the organization's current co-chairman.
