Donald Trump Jr. spilled on his echo chamber podcast that his president-elect father would possibly make house within the White Home Briefing Room for his favourite podcast bros.
“I wonder now, as your father is assembling his team, as maybe [Trump’s national press secretary] Karoline Leavitt is looking at the new press briefing room chart, maybe it’s time to reorder that chart and maybe take away some people’s seats,” Michael Knowles cohost on “Triggered with Donald Trump,” requested.
“I used to be on the airplane with my father … and we have been speaking in regards to the podcast world and a few of our mates and [Joe] Rogan and guys such as you,” Don Jr. mentioned, explaining their plan so as to add podcast hosts, influencers, and different nontraditional media sources to the Briefing Room.
Figuring out that the potential transfer would imply the incoming administration must revoke some conventional media press passes, he added, “That’s going to blow up some heads.”
Along with Rogan, Trump’s beloved mouthpieces within the podcast manosphere embrace the likes of Barstool Sports activities’ Dave Portnoy, Megyn Kelly, and Adin Ross, whose affect undoubtedly helped Trump in his 2024 election win.
Nevertheless, the query of how these very blatantly pro-Trump media personalities will cowl the MAGA founder looms overhead.
Whereas podcasts have beefed up their manufacturing high quality and even sometimes have journalists behind the scenes to hold out their information gathering, among the journalistic requirements held by conventional newsrooms could not exist within the podcast or influencer realm.
It’s necessary to notice that journalistic requirements range from newsroom to newsroom, and that there aren’t any legal guidelines in place to carry media to a sure customary—thank the First Modification for this freedom.
Total, this protects media shops from any legal guidelines a sitting president would possibly impose as a result of they, effectively, don’t like how an outlet portrays them.
Nevertheless, as the road between factual reporting and opinionated leisure reveals has blurred within the quick and soiled digital realm, this makes manner for influencers and podcast personalities with no prior journalistic expertise to guide the nationwide (or worldwide) dialog.
Whereas the professionals and cons of the brand new wave of journalism is broadly debated, the defenses these new institutions have to guard themselves from nefarious exterior sources has been delivered to gentle.
In September, one media firm that housed right-wing influencers—together with Tim Pool, Dave Rubin, and Benny Johnson—was discovered to have been unknowingly funded by a Russian affect operation.
In accordance with an indictment obtained by the Related Press, these influencers have been taking in funding from Russian operatives to churn out English-language content material that was “often consistent” with Russia’s “interest in amplifying U.S. domestic divisions in order to weaken U.S. opposition” to Russia. This included pushing ideas that have been sympathetic to the Kremlin amid the Russia-Ukraine battle.
The U.S. Division of Justice alleged the influencers concerned on this case have been unaware of the place the funding was coming from, and didn’t level fault on the hosts. Nevertheless, the state of affairs opens the dialogue for a way inclined new age media may be to exterior affect.
As for a way the White Home will deal with these potential modifications, Trump has pushed buttons within the Briefing Room earlier than. Throughout his first presidency, Trump banned CNN’s Jim Acosta from the Briefing Room. He additionally took purpose at BBC and The New York Occasions, barring them from the room amid his “fake news” tirade.
The White Home later backed down on their ban, permitting press members like Acosta again into the room.
Two years later, the Trump administration tried to sully the White Home’s relationship with media once more by enacting new guidelines for the press’ “hard pass,” which permits members of the press speedy entry to the White Home.
New time period, new circus.
