What do Steve Bannon, Rudy Giuliani, Michael Cohen, Mike Pence and Anthony Scaramucci have in common?
They worked for Donald Trump, obviously, and several of them have been involved in prosecutions related to the former president, but this month, each has its own podcast. one of these high-profile Trump acolytes.
Pence was the latest to announce his own show this week, with the news that the former vice-president will be in control of launching a podcast to “keep drawing new hearts and minds for the cause of conservation ”.
Like his one-time partners, Pence enjoys the benefits of an unregulated platform to share his views on any topic he chooses, and like Bannon et al, Pence will be able to keep himself in the public domain – although possible The pennies seem to be dry, with a different light mode in tone from the Bannons and Giulianis in the world of podcasting.
On his War Room podcast, Bannon has called for Anthony Fauci to be fired – something Pence is unlikely to do – while the Common Sense Giuliani podcast was used to make potentially politically deceptive claims. leave often, which Pence could leave alone.
Cohen and Scaramucci’s podcasts, which criticize Trump, may not respond to the efforts of Trump worshipers, but the fact is that five of Trump’s most prominent acolytes chose this format for distribution. their ideas – over television, radio or the written word – are amazing.
So why podcasts? One main reason is one of the oldest in politics: money.
“I think partly because it’s an easier medium to get into than something like radio or television. “The regular costs are much lower. If you have a solid foundation, and the Trump foundation tends to be a solid foundation, you can make a ton of money doing this,” said Nicole Hemmer, author of Right Messengers: Media Conservative and Changing American Politics.
“If you have an audience of just 35,000 people, you can make a profitable podcast,” Hemmer said. “If you have an audience of 100,000 people, now you start talking real money.”
Read more of Adam Gabbatt ‘s report here: Sounds about it right: why a podcast works for Pence, Bannon and Giuliani