Trump’s reelection prompts record reader donations to The Guardian in new ‘Trump bump’
By Brian Stelter, CNN
New York (CNN) — There’s a new “Trump bump” materializing for some news outlets, though it’s showing up differently than it did the first time Donald Trump was elected president.
That’s the assertion from The Guardian, the British newspaper with an ambitious American arm. According to internal data shared with CNN, Trump’s reelection prompted a record surge in donations to the Guardian US, which has positioned itself as a truth-teller about the president-elect and a protector of the free press.
After Trump remarked that “in this term, everybody wants to be my friend,” The Guardian blasted out a defiant fundraising email stating, “Trump, we don’t want to be your friend” and urging readers to contribute a year-end gift.
Emails like that one apparently worked. On Tuesday, The Guardian US said the outlet’s end-of-2024 fundraising campaign raised $5.13 million in immediate contributions, more than double the previous record $2.2 million it brought in at the end of 2023.
The Guardian US also reported $16.1 million in pledged contributions, which it defines as “the long-term value of recurring subscriptions,” up from $6.12 million in the same period a year earlier.
The contributions are a significant source of The Guardian’s US business, making up a majority of the digital outlet’s annual revenue, with ads and institutional philanthropy accounting for the rest. Last year, the publication brought in $33 million in reader contributions and the company expects that figure to continue to grow this year.
Trump’s first election in 2016 prompted dramatic and profitable spikes in audience traffic for big news brands like The New York Times and The Washington Post. The publications worked hard to convert that “Trump bump” into paying customers.
But Trump’s reelection led political analysts to suggest that a fatigued public might not pay as much attention the second time around. Several media outlets have speculated about a “Trump slump,” and there are some data points to back that up, like relatively low TV news ratings this winter. But The Guardian US editor Betsy Reed has found otherwise.
“We are already seeing signs of a Trump bump – but it’s not in traffic,” Reed said, admitting her site’s overall readership in December wasn’t anything to brag about.
“Instead,” she said, “we’re seeing huge spikes in reader revenue and support when we stand firm for our values, refuse to capitulate to power, and commit to keeping our journalism free and accessible.”
The Guardian has used controversial moves by other outlets – like Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos blocking the paper’s planned endorsement of Kamala Harris – to highlight itself. While The Post and Los Angeles Times each shed thousands of subscribers over their billionaire owners’ overtures toward Trump, The Guardian has seen a surge in support.
Data shared with CNN showed The Guardian US enjoyed sudden spikes in contributions when it fundraised off The Post’s non-endorsement; when Trump won the election; and when The Guardian quit Elon Musk’s X in protest of the social network’s toxicity.
“This moment represents a real opportunity for mission-driven outlets to appeal directly to readers who crave tough, independent reporting, and our recent experience is proof of that,” Reed said.
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