Trump Needs to Use Streams to Engage Voters, Diverse Groups

(Editor’s Note: The following opinion column does not constitute an endorsement of any political party or candidate on the part of Newsmax.)

Former President Donald Trump and Sen. J.D. Vance should continue appearing on podcasts and online streams (collectively, "streams") in addition to traditional media such as television and radio.

Trump and Vance should strive to appear on streams which reach diverse groups. These streams can result in converting traditionally non-Trump supporters into Trump voters.

Trump appeared on X (formerly known as Twitter) and had a conversation with Elon Musk that, according to Musk, garnered 1 billion views. Trump's recent appearance on Adin Ross' stream had 100 million hits/views.

Trump's round of golf with Bryson DeChambeau had 10 million views on YouTube, and his interview with Logan Paul had 6.4 million YouTube views. The viewership for DeChambeau and Paul is even higher when factoring in other viewer platforms.

Vance appeared on the Full Send Podcast (hosted by NELK's Kyle Forgeard and friends) and had 1.5 million views on YouTube.

The streams offer four advantages. First, the viewership is larger than most, if not all, televised events. Trump's acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention had 25.38 million viewers on television. It was televised on NBC, ABC, CBS, and the news channels.

The speech is probably one of the biggest and most important of the campaign season. The audiences for the Adin Ross and Elon Musk streams, however, were much larger..

Second, the streams are long-format interviews with minimal time restrictions. This format allows for more time to answer questions. Trump can cover issues with more detail and nuance.

Interviewers can also ask extended and/or multiple follow-up questions which allows Trump to provide more information.

Third, the stream format allows viewers to see Trump in a different environment than the Trump seen in rallies, interviews on television (some of which have hostile interviewers), or news stories. The stream format is typically a more relaxed environment and has a longer format than traditional media.

Accordingly, one can learn about Trump's personality, demeanor, sense of humor, depth of knowledge, and approach to dealing with policy issues and problem-solving.

The most important benefit of streams is that they provide an opportunity for Trump to reach voters who, while familiar with Trump, may not have watched him in his appearances on traditional media. These voters typically do not follow politics closely and/or gain their knowledge of Trump through news headlines, social media posts or their friends' opinions.

If these individuals watch streams where Trump is a guest, they may decide to vote for him based on what they hear.

President Trump should use thsee streams to reach different demographics and audiences, especially the ones the campaign is targeting. It is unclear if he is using this strategy. The Ross, Paul, and DeChambeau streams, while popular, were likely viewed by more males and young individuals (such as Gen Z and younger).

Trump should appear on streams popular among African-Americans, Hispanic-Americans, suburban women, and those older than Gen Z. In addition, he will likely be discussing topics that matter to these audiences.

It is possible (and likely) that Trump's positions on these issues are the same as the audience's, and they may be willing to support him.

Trump should also offer his Agenda47 Videos in a podcast and streaming format. These videos, found on the bottom of the Trump website, feature Trump explaining his views on various topics, from free speech to the preservation of Social Security.

The creation of both a podcast and stream for these videos could increase viewership. Additionally, a format with continuous videos is more user-friendly than the current format in which one must click individually on each video.

Appearances on traditional media are still beneficial. Traditional media has an audience. And the news often reports on what is stated in such interviews and speeches. The streams are an additional tool in the toolkit for voter engagement.

President Trump has made great use of social media throughout his presidential campaigns. Hopefully, he will take the next step with his use of streams by targeting diverse groups.

I invite President Trump and Sen. Vance onto my podcast, Advancing the Agenda, where the topics will be the top five issues facing the country according to the national polls.

I will also invite the other candidates to do their own interviews on my podcast, so the Advancing the Agenda podcast can be a forum to compare the candidates on the same topics.