Donald Trump's Gen Z son, Barron, is serving as his unofficial podcast adviser
Barron Trump might not be appearing on the campaign trail as his father Donald Trump works to whip up voter enthusiasm ahead of the presidential election, but the 18-year-old has an unofficial role: podcast adviser.
The former president's strategy has evolved since his successful 2016 run for the White House. Back then, many of Trump's media appearances were on TV shows. It's a medium he's got decades of experience with, having fired countless contestants as the host of "The Apprentice" and "The Celebrity Apprentice" for hundreds of episodes.
This time, he's been doing the rounds on podcasts. Based on the YouTube numbers alone -- many podcasts also post their content on the streaming platform in video form -- he's reaching a wide audience this way.
Trump's interview on streamer Adin Ross' show has more than 2.6 million views since Aug. 5. His appearance on "This Past Weekend with Theo Von" got more than 14 million views since Aug. 20. His sitdown on "Flagrant" picked up more than 5.7 million views since Oct. 9, and his chat on "PBD Podcast" gathered more than 2.7 million views since Oct. 17.
These numbers don't even take listenership on other platforms into account, and people also see clips from these appearances on TikTok and social media.
As a member of Gen Z, Barron -- the youngest of Trump's three sons -- was the one to introduce his 78-year-old father to this new medium, a source close to Trump told ABC News. YouTuber and wrestler Logan Paul was top of mind for Barron, the source noted, and his podcast "Impaulsive" was the first one Donald Trump appeared on, back in June.
It's part of Trump's effort to reach younger voters who may be still establishing themselves or are starting families, honing in on topics like jobs, the economy, the border and safety.
This evolution also was evident during the Republican National Conventions. In 2016, Trump was introduced by billionaire Tom Barrack, who talked about his longtime friend's business success. This year, it was UFC President Dana White -- a clear effort to reach out to the young men who make up the majority of the sport's viewership.
Trump will also conduct an interview with wildly popular podcaster Joe Rogan -- a former UFC commentator -- on Friday, sources told ABC News. "The Joe Rogan Experience" holds the crown as Spotify's most popular podcast, boasting approximately 15.7 million followers, a company representative told ABC News.
His political rival, Vice President Kamala Harris, hasn't shied away from the medium either, having chatted with host Alexandra Cooper on the "Call Her Daddy" podcast on Oct. 6. It's gathered more than 669,000 views on YouTube.
It's still unclear if this medium is effective for reaching voters and getting them energized -- we'll find out in less than two weeks when Election Day arrives.
