President-elect Donald Trump’s historic political comeback this year was partly driven by the GOP’s unprecedented outreach on alternative media platforms. 

A three-hour appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience, a two-hour interview with Elon Musk on X, and a 60-minute conversation with influencer Theo Von was voters’ standard media fare from Trump during the 2024 election cycle. They all garnered more views than Trump’s appearances on cable news. Trump’s sitdowns with Rogan and Musk also captured far more engagement than the debate showdown between him and Vice President Kamala Harris, which garnered over 67 million views.