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I’ve spent more than four thousand hours studying right-wing media for my newsletter TheRighting over the past seven years.
The reelection of Donald Trump presents a unique opportunity for a growing army of reporters, pundits, podcasters, and influencers. They reflect what is now the majority viewpoint of the country’s voting population, at least according to the popular vote. And some, more than others, are poised to rise over the next four years.
While I expect the leading conservative news brands and stars, like Fox News, the Washington Examiner, the National Review, Ann Coulter, and Tucker Carlson to continue to unofficially govern and shape right-wing political discussion and news coverage, several lesser-known players and outlets are poised to raise their profiles.
First off, Newsmax.com seems likely to take another step forward. Though Fox News remains the largest right-wing website, as measured by Comscore, it has shrunk while Newsmax has posted increases every month except one for the past four years.
I’ve also tracked subscriber counts very closely among the top right-wing podcasters, and the increases have been remarkable for a handful of conservative voices. Because I based my research on the Castbox platform, which represents less than 2 percent of all podcasts, it is a tiny sample. But I’m able to get real subscriber numbers for individual podcasts that are not publicly available on any major podcasting platforms.
Ben Shapiro has been the undisputed king of right-wing podcasters for several years, with more than 660,000 Castbox subscribers, and I anticipate a much higher profile for him in 2025. At this point in time, I don’t consider Joe Rogan a conservative, but his three-hour interview with Trump resulted in the New York Post labeling him “the improbable kingmaker of American politics.” He’ll become a must-stop for presidential candidates in 2028.
But keep an eye on Megyn Kelly for the next year. In my estimation, she’s the leading female right-wing podcaster. Not only is her podcast quickly gaining subscribers, according to my estimates, but she’s got a knack for landing successfully in the public eye. It’s not unreasonable to think that Kelly will build on the popularity of her podcast to extend her successful brand to other platforms.
Podcaster Matt Walsh likewise seems positioned for greater influence. He’s got a fast-growing top-ten right-wing podcast (just ahead of Kelly), has authored four nonfiction books, and has become a real multiplatform force with the September release of the comedy documentary Am I a Racist? (tagline: “A comedy to DEI for”), which he stars in and cowrote. It’s the country’s highest-grossing documentary this year.
Former Trump adviser Steve Bannon may still be whispering to President Trump, and so his podcast, War Room, might be required listening in 2025. Its numbers are smaller—outside the top twenty—but it drives a lot of attention from an audience that likely includes many incoming Trump administration officials.
By studying Trump’s prolific linking activity on Truth Social and his website DonaldJTrump.com, it’s possible to get a sense of what media outlets and reporters he himself now admires. In research conducted by TheRighting this spring and summer, we found he most often linked to stories appearing on the Murdoch-controlled New York Post, FoxNews.com, and video clips from the Fox News Channel.
Despite the bumpy relationship with the Murdoch news brands, they should continue their role as a powerful amplifier of his messages and enthusiastic sideline cheerleader. Trump’s nomination of Fox News personality Pete Hegseth to the role of secretary of defense is the clearest indication of the value the incoming president places on a tight relationship with the Fox empire.
Trump also linked often to articles from media outlets on the fringes of the right, like Real America’s Voice, the Right Side Broadcasting Network (RSBN), and Breitbart. They are among the current fringe players that seem poised to take bigger roles. I’d pay particular attention to the work of right-wing pop-culture critic and analyst Christian Toto, who publishes the website Hollywood in Toto. He’s written articulately and critically about left-wing extremism in film and television, and his opinions may be more widely accepted with Trump back in the White House.
For sheer tonnage, no one beats the output of Summer Lane, who says she wrote three thousand articles in three years for RSBN before leaving the outlet several months ago. Trump linked to her articles more than 150 times. Based on that work, she ventured out on her own and launched Write Revolution News in September, which Trump has continued to link to.
It’s quite possible, too, that there are budding stars on Instagram, TikTok, Rumble, YouTube, and conservative cable and streaming news that I haven’t noticed. And that means I’ve got to spend even more hours studying the ever-expanding world of right-wing media. It’s going to be a busy year.
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