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.