How Trump made a play for the 'great crunchy intersection at the middle of American politics'

23 August 2024

As much as Donald Trump rails against the media, the former president has been doing a lot of interviews — especially with outlets he considers friendly.

Trump was recently interviewed for podcaster Theo Von's "This Past Weekend." Von conducted the interview at Trump's golf course in Bedminster, New Jersey, where the host wasn't shy about discussing drugs and his battle with addiction in the past.

The Atlantic's Helen Lewis, describing the interview, argues that their "discussion of drug and alcohol addiction" on Von's podcast "demonstrated perhaps the most interest Trump has ever shown in another human being."

"Von's content is tailored to young men — exactly the demographic that the Republicans hope will take them to victory in November," Lewis observes. "One of his advertisers is BlueChew, an off-brand version of Viagra whose mission, Von said, is to make 'the entire country rock hard.' From that phrasing, you can tell which half of the country watches or listens to 'This Past Weekend.'"

Lewis adds, "Accordingly, Trump and Von's conversation rambled through classic barstool topics: their favorite fighters, Kid Rock's golf swing, and the question of why people no longer have heart attacks from the excitement at sporting events."

Lewis notes that shows like "This Past Weekend" and "The Joe Rogan Experience" attract a variety of male listeners, commenting that they "plow the great crunchy intersection at the middle of American politics, where the supplement bros of the right find communion with the wellness vegetarians of the left."

During the interview, Von told Trump that cocaine "will turn you into a damn owl, homie, you know what I'm saying?" And he added, "You'll be out on your own porch. You'll be your own streetlamp."

Trump, who doesn't drink, discussed his late brother Fred Trump Jr.'s struggle with alcoholism and told Von, "I had a great brother who taught me a lesson: Don't drink. He was a handsome guy.… He had a problem with alcohol."

Fred Trump Jr., who died in 1981, was the father of psychologist Mary Trump — Donald Trump's niece, a cousin of Don Jr. and Ivanka Trump and a scathing critic of the former president who is supporting Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 election.

Read Helen Lewis' full article for The Atlantic at this link (subscription required).

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