# Drudge Report Conservative news aggregator website founded by [[Matt Drudge]] in 1996. One of the most influential right-wing media properties in American internet history. ## Rise to Prominence - **1998**: Broke the Monica Lewinsky scandal before mainstream outlets, establishing Drudge as a force in political media - Pioneered the conservative news aggregator model — a single page of curated headlines with links to other outlets - At its peak, drove enormous traffic to other news sites; editors across the political spectrum monitored it obsessively - Format remained deliberately retro: single-page layout, minimal design, all-caps headlines ## Political Influence During the 2016 election, Drudge's coverage of Trump was overwhelmingly positive. One former campaign official described Drudge as being "treated by the campaign and Kushner like he was the pope." More than Breitbart or any other outlet, the Drudge Report played a decisive role in Trump's 2016 victory through its massive reach. ## The Trump Break (2019-2020) In mid-to-late 2019, Drudge began shifting coverage in a more critical direction toward Trump: - Trump publicly attacked: "I gave up on Drudge (a really nice guy) long ago, as have many others" - Drudge fired back, claiming record traffic: "The past 30 days has been the most eyeballs in Drudge Report's 26 year-history" - [[Tucker Carlson]] declared: "Matt Drudge is now firmly a man of the progressive left" - The break was seen as a significant loss for the Trump media ecosystem ## Mystery and Reclusion Matt Drudge is famously reclusive — rarely photographed, no social media presence, almost never gives interviews. Speculation about who actually runs the site day-to-day has persisted for years. The site continues to operate as of 2026. ## Significance The Drudge Report proved that a single individual with a website could shape the national political conversation. It was the prototype for the conservative media aggregation model that Breitbart, Gateway Pundit, and others later adapted.