During Donald Trump’s presidency, news publishers experienced significant growth, particularly in their subscription businesses. The rise of Trump’s political influence coincided with news organizations’ strategic focus on increasing direct reader revenue.
Publishers such as The New York Times and The Washington Post saw a surge in traffic and new subscribers, benefiting from heightened political tension and public interest. As Trump begins his second term in office, the question arises: will this renewed presidency bring similar benefits to news publishers, especially as digital news consumption continues to evolve?
At this stage, it’s unclear how much of an impact Trump’s second term will have on media traffic. Data for the week of the 2024 election is not yet fully available, and sources like Comscore and Similarweb have limited real-time reporting capabilities. However, many publishers are taking proactive measures by appealing directly to readers for financial support.
Outlets such as The Atlantic, Vox, and HuffPost have encouraged subscriptions or donations to sustain their journalism in a politically charged atmosphere. Interestingly, publishers that have openly endorsed candidates have seen spikes in subscriber conversions, with The Economist experiencing its highest subscriber surge on the day it endorsed Kamala Harris in 2020.
However, early indicators suggest that the media environment in 2024 may be different from that of 2020. U.S. traffic to the top 100 news sites leading up to the 2024 election was 4.6% lower than in 2020. The last week of the 2020 election saw a 6.9% traffic increase, whereas this year, traffic grew only 3%.
Will News Publishers Benefit from Trump’s Second Term in the Evolving Media Era
Some major news publishers like The Washington Post saw traffic dips, with a 0.9% drop in unique visitors on November 4. On the other hand, outlets like NBC News and CBS News experienced significant traffic increases, with NBC’s site visits growing 25.6% week-over-week.
Another noticeable trend is the decline in views for media publishers on platforms like YouTube. Total views for the top 20 news publishers during the 2024 election were lower compared to 2020, with a marked drop from 315 million views on November 3, 2020, to 152 million on November 5, 2024.
This decline is partly attributed to the rise of individual creators on platforms like YouTube, who have come to dominate the news and politics space. Media publishers’ share of total views decreased, while the influence of independent creators grew. This shift reflects a broader change in how users consume news, with audio and video formats on social platforms like TikTok drawing increasing attention away from traditional news sites.
The growing popularity of alternative media platforms, especially TikTok, is reshaping how Americans access political news. TikTok’s user base has expanded dramatically, with over 150 million U.S. users in 2024 compared to around 60 million in 2020. This change has contributed to a shift in where people get their news, with more users turning to social media, podcasts, and other non-traditional sources.
Experts suggest that news publishers need to adapt by focusing more on these platforms for content distribution. Publishers may need to rethink their approach to monetization, prioritizing engagement and impressions on social channels rather than solely relying on traffic to their websites. As the media world evolves, publishers are adjusting their editorial strategies, learning to quickly respond to breaking news and anticipating shifts in the public interest.
