Dave Portnoy on Trump, the manosphere, and his advice for Democrats

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4.5 • 52.8K Ratings

🗓️ 9 June 2025

⏱️ 41 minutes

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Summary

NPR's Steve Inskeep talks with Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy about "bro" culture, his support of President Trump and what democrats could be doing better.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Dave Portnoy has opinions about Donald Trump and bros.
0:06.1	Somebody who maybe likes sports and wants to get laid, which I don't think is a bad thing.
0:11.2	How does the founder of Barstool Sports think about voters like him?
0:14.8	I'm Steve Inskeep on a special edition of Up First from NPR News.
0:21.2	Dave Portnoy doesn't always get along with the media.
0:24.4	They asked me for a quote about something the other day.
0:27.3	I said, I'd rather put a pencil in my eye that speak to you guys.
0:30.7	But he talked with us about voters known as Barstool Conservatives.
0:34.5	What keeps Portnoy on the president's side even after Trump tanked the stock market?
0:39.5	I was mad, but I told myself, I was like, he said he was going to do tariffs.
0:45.1	Also, what if anything could get more men to vote for Democrats?
0:48.5	Stay with us for an extended conversation with Dave Portnoy.
0:57.0	Barstool Sports has been around just over 20 years.
1:00.0	It features podcasts, web stories, lots of ads for gambling, lots.
1:04.6	And also Dave Portnoy, talking about things like watching basketball star Caitlin Clark.
1:09.6	Because I was there for it.
1:13.4	I was decked out, fever hat, fever sweatshirt.
1:18.9	His business model is to cover whatever guys might talk about while at a bar watching sports.
1:23.1	This now includes politics, which he riffs about on social media.
1:27.5	The thing about me is when I see something and I get an opinion and it bubbles up, if I don't get it out, I just combust.
1:29.3	I just like, I may just explode.
1:31.4	When progressives denounce his language about race or women, as they often do,
	...

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