Over the weekend, I went to DC to meet with everyone the right -wing influencers and content creators who have done President Donald Trump’s 2024 possible victory. They were everywhere.
The 2024 election was the choice of influencers and inauguration was not different: There were dozens of before and after inaugural celebrations and balls this weekend, as well as the big event itself. Theo von sat in front of Jake and Logan Paul under the Capitol Rotunda (Well, Until the podcasting chair collapsed). Ben Shapiro, Matt Walsh, and Brett Cooper marched the red carpet of Turning Point USA and played for self -photos with fans. Jessic Reed Kraus, writer of the Houseinhabit bulletin, met with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. At the Make America Healthy Again Ball Monday night.
In August, I released A guide to the Republican and Democratic influencers forming the 2024 election. The influencers and content creators are still important, and they will communicate and lead political decisions over the next few years.
Welcome to Trump 2.0, where these creators have their ears not only of their audiences but also from the president. Here are some of these to observe for the next four years.
The podcasters and streamers
The 2024 election was the explosion cycle for podcasters in politics. Most of the shows Trump continued served to the manosphereA loose network of creators who push misogynistic, racist, and pro-man ideology online. This includes people like Joe Rogan, Andrew Schulz, the Paul brothers, and Adin Rosswho shared their Trump interviews with millions and millions of their fans. There is also a second branch, made up of creators who marked themselves as the intellectual wing of the modern Republican party, as Ben Shapiro, Dave Rubin, and Lex Fridman. Fridman’s Jutuba podcast reaches millions of viewers each week. Shapiro’s show is one of the most popular those at Spotify.
These podcasters expanded Trump and his agenda with very little, if anyone, push. They will probably be key to gathering support for Trump’s administration decisions.
I spoke briefly with Shapiro Sunday night, asking what follows for the GOP and podcasting. “The power continues to grow,” he said. “Inheritance media has completely exploded. We focus on expansion, not just our brand, but there are so many other brands that need expansion, I think it will be a very rich time for the podcast industry.
The meme pages
DC Drain, the typical Liberal, Ragingamericans, and Snowflaketears There are some of the largest pro-magic self pages on Instagram. Combined, these accounts have more than 6 million followers. They serve as a channel between GOP leadership priorities and platforms such as X and Instagram.
Think of their accounts as news agents for people who may not consume it otherwise.
The organizers
While the Democrats also worked with influencers during the last election cycle, no PAC or campaign organized them as effectively and effectively as the right. Due to Turning Point United States and its leader, Charlie KirkMany of the GOP’s most popular creators see each other at least a few times a year at the organization’s summits and trainings. According to interviews with some of the main organizers of the right, this infrastructure will only grow over the next four years. The organizers themselves also became influenced to watch.
I wrote about Influence (and victory round) arranged on inaugural weekend that was put on by CJ Pearson and Raquel debon. Pearson, a conservative creator with more than 500,000 Xs, co-prices the Youth Council of the Republican National Committee. He has played a key role in the party’s adoption of influence and plans further training with organizations such as the Heritage Foundation.
