Donald Trump AP-24221658835593
Donald Trump uses these podcasts to articulate a “strongman” approach to the world. Alex Brandon/AP

How Donald Trump Is Using Foreign Policy to Appeal to the Bros

The former president has been going on a lot of long-form podcasts targeted at young men and talking about Viktor Orbán.

Donald Trump uses these podcasts to articulate a “strongman” approach to the world. Alex Brandon/AP

Donald Trump rarely gives time to big networks or major outlets unless it’s Fox News. Yet, he’s been a consistent presence on long-form podcasts, giving freewheeling interviews to friendly hosts on everything from the war in Ukraine to the JFK assassination and aliens.

Plenty of clips from these podcasts have gone viral on social media, like when Trump explained his speech patterns to one interviewer as the “weave” or asked another podcast host if they do cocaine. But in between those moments, Trump is articulating his “strongman” approach to the world — one that communications experts and political historians say speaks directly to the low-propensity voters core to Trump’s electoral strategy.

In more than 12 hours of Trump’s podcast interviews, NOTUS found the former president oscillating between familiar lines from his rallies to more expansive proclamations — particularly on foreign policy.