On Wednesday, new reporting by the Wall Street Journal revealed that “conservative podcasters appear to be losing interest” in President Donald Trump. According to the paper’s analysis of 70,000 hours of podcasting, while “Trump has urged voters to keep him front of mind” with the midterms looming, “MAGA podcasters aren’t playing along.”
“Mentions of Trump’s name per hour on conservative podcasts have fallen nearly 70 percent from their peak in the run-up to the 2024 election,” writes the Journal. “Advisers have told the president that the Iran war is sapping his supporters’ enthusiasm. Gas is nearly $4.50 a gallon nationally. The share of Republicans who say the economy is better than a year ago has collapsed from over 70 percent in January to 29 percent in September, according to a New York Times/Siena poll.” According to the Journal, “The podcasts show that same souring. Monthly mentions of his name have fallen 30 percent since the U.S. launched the war in late February, with some hosts airing disapproval of it, and a few, like former Fox News host and conservative media personality Tucker Carlson, breaking publicly with the administration.” The paper included a chart of MAGA podcast Trump mentions, which showed an up-and-down decline after the 2024 election, followed by a relentless cratering once he launched war with Iran.
The Journal’s analysis found that far-right conservative podcasts have largely shifted to a new political topic: Democratic senatorial candidate James Talarico, which polls show may deliver Texas its first Democrat in statewide office since 1994. “Trump has called him ‘Talafreako,’ and railed against him at the GOP midterm convention,” writes the Journal. “MAGA podcasters portray Talarico as a radical leftist out of touch with Texans. They frequently attack him for past comments he has made about religion, transgender rights and immigration.” The Journal describes Talarico as “a state legislator who has campaigned on his Christian faith,” asserting that he is in a “tight race against Republican state Attorney General Ken Paxton, a MAGA warrior beloved by Trump’s base and backed by national Republicans pouring money into the state to shore him up.” While the paper cites close polling for its “tight race” assertion, the latest numbers show Talarico pulling well ahead of a scandal-stricken Paxton. According to an internal Republican poll released Monday, Talarico leads 52 percent versus Paxton’s 42 percent.
Waning podcast mentions aren’t the only evidence of Trump’s failing grip on MAGA. On Tuesday, new reporting by the New York Times revealed MAGA voter frustration with Trump’s “insulting” lies. “We drank the Kool-Aid, and we were wrong,” said one, who went on to explain that his eye starts “twitching” whenever Trump claims prices have gone down. “I can’t even listen to him talk anymore.”