Media


Where in the World Is Matt Drudge?


His political leanings and physical whereabouts remain a big mystery in 2024. F BY MATTHEW LYSIAK


or three decades, earning the favor of inter- net pioneer Matt Drudge was a necessary rite of passage for any serious conservative candidate vying for national office.


A single link from his website, the Drudge Report, had


the power to move news cycles, shape front pages, and send tremors all the way up to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. Drudge, who launched his site in 1994, first entered the


national lexicon four years later when he exposed then- President Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky’s affair. From there, his power as a political kingmaker in the


early days of the internet would only continue to grow. By Nov. 13, 2002, Drudge was claiming over 1 billion


views of the site’s main page in the past year. Staffers from George W. Bush’s administration cozied


up to Drudge, feeding him stories to counter left-wing bias in the mainstream news. Even liberals attempted


to earn Drudge’s favor. In 2008, Democrat presiden- tial primary hopeful Hillary Clinton employed a staffer


known as the “Drudge Whisperer” to facilitate positive news coverage about herself. By 2016, Drudge had reached the apex of his power. The


Drudge Report was credited with playing a pivotal role in Donald Trump’s presidential victory, especially in pushing him through the primaries at a time when his conservative credentials were under scrutiny. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, who had sought the Republican presidential nomination, accused the Drudge Report of transforming into “an attack site” for Trump, telling a con- servative radio host that Drudge just promotes “whatever the Trump campaign is pushing that day.” Drudge went on to serve the Trump administration as


an informal adviser. However, shortly after the election, the Drudge Report


made a notable tilt to the left — and against Trump. Now, in the run-up to the 2024 election, speculation over who Drudge will get behind has faded, replaced by a new, unfamiliar question: Does Drudge still matter?


Continued on page 46


44 NEWSMAX | JUNE 2024


DRUDGE/PAUL HARRIS/GETTY IMAGES


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