Ex-DNC Chair Jaime Harrison on his new podcast: People want Democrats ‘to just be real'
'We named it 'At Our Table,' because for me, many of the most important conversations that I've had in life were at the dining room table or at our table in our house, talking to family in real talk,' Harrison told The Hill in an interview ahead of his launch.
Unlike other podcasts, Harrison said he had unique relationships with many of the party's top leaders, adding it 'was a great opportunity for folks to really get a three-dimensional sense of some of the leaders in our party and some of the biggest topics that we're talking about right now.'
Other Democratic members who are expected to appear on the podcast include Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D), Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.), Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D), Rep. Lauren Underwood (D-Ill.) and Rep. Sarah McBride (D-Del.).
Many Democrats are trying their hand at podcasting, including Beshear and California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), as the party experiments with new forums beyond traditional media. Podcasts tend to offer more intimate listening experiences, helping create connections between hosts and listeners.
Podcasts because a particular focal point during the 2024 election as President Trump's appearance on shows with hosts like Joe Rogan were credited with helping him reach new audiences before he eventually defeated former Vice President Harris.
Some in the political world have long been in the podcast space. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) has had his podcast for a while and 'Ruthless,' which is hosted by GOP strategists and a commentator, is a favorite among Republicans and conservatives. Meanwhile, 'Pod Save America,' among others, is a favorite among Democrats.
But the podcasts come at a unique moment for the Democratic Party, who have struggled to reset from the November elections and are mired in low approval ratings.
'I think it is going to give people an opportunity to just be real, to be real people and to showcase their dimensions, and I think that's what people are looking for in the Democratic Party now,' Harrison told The Hill when asked how he saw his podcast helping the party address its current challenges.
'That's part of the reason why I wanted to invite the guests that I have on the podcast is because … I've known some of these people for a long time,' Harrison added. 'I've known Tim Walz for almost 20 years now, I've gotten a chance to get to know Hunter Biden over the last few years, and this caricatures that they have in the media are not always the same that I see behind the scenes.'
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Indeed, Harrison nabbed Hunter Biden's first post-election interview. In excerpts of Biden's interview with Harrison shared ahead of its release, the former president's second son said that he believed Democrats lost the November electio n for not being loyal to his father and responded to CNN anchor Jake Tapper's remarks in which Tapper referred to him as an 'acting chief of staff' for the Biden family.
'You ask one person to go on the record that would ever tell you that I was in any way making a single decision about anything, anything in that White House,' Biden told Harrison in their interview. 'I stayed as far away as I possibly could. Which, by the way, broke my heart.'
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