“I Will Make Sure That My Voice is Heard”: Populism, Partisanship, and Public Engagement in the U.S. and U.K. “Podcast Elections”

Abstract

The 2024 elections in the United States and the United Kingdom were characterized as the first “podcast elections,” with political figures leveraging the medium to connect directly with the public. This study examines how political insiders in both countries used podcast-specific affordances to engage listeners and advance political agendas. Through close analytical listening and critical discourse analysis of four prominent politics podcasts—Bannon’s War Room, Pod Save America, The Rest is Politics, and Electoral Dysfunction—we analyze host engagement strategies and political framing. Our findings reveal a “strategic ritual of authenticity” whereby hosts present themselves as accessible and genuine through intimate, emotional discourse while also displaying professional, insider expertise. U.S. podcasts demonstrated overt partisanship, while U.K. podcasts adopted more establishment-supportive, cross-party approaches. The analysis reveals podcasting’s effectiveness for contrasting objectives: fostering democratic participation through intimate and inclusive dialogue, and deepening polarization through partisan mobilization, with potential to undermine democracy.

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