President Aleksandar Vucic’s trial podcast, featuring well-known basketball coach Miroslav Nikolic, follows an online self-promotion trend embraced by other politicians in the region and beyond.
Ahead of elections expected in the next few months, Serbia’s head of state has started doing podcasts, while promising to give politics a big miss on his show.
The first episode of Vucic’s PodcAVst aired on Friday at noon on his official YouTube channel. In it, Vucic interviewed the basketball coach Miroslav “Muta” Nikolic, introducing him as a “pal” and a “legend of Serbian basketball”.
When I was a boy, I applied
“When I was a boy, I applied to become a radio reporter. At the time, my dream was to become a sports commentator or reporter. I didn’t make it – Radio Belgrade rightly rejected me because I had a slight speech impediment,” Vucic reminisced in the introduction.
Vucic said he decided to try the podcast format for a simple reason: to have conversations with successful people.
“I’ve missed having conversations with successful people, with people who are different from me, so that I can learn something from them, gain a different perspective and listen to them, rather than having them listen to me,” he said.
I’ll try not to be someone who argues
“I’ll try not to be someone who argues or disagrees with guests, but instead to be here to learn as much as possible from people working in completely different fields. And there won’t be a single word about politics,” he added.
During the interview, Vucic and Nikolic spoke about basketball strategies, teams, players and coaches. They also reminisced about Vucic’s own sports efforts and his brother Andrej’s life.
Since the podcast premiered live, it had a live chat filled with supportive comments like “Serbia Wins” and “Serbia United”, and emojis including the Serbian flag, a wolf, hearts and flexed biceps. Some presented opposing views, however, such as “The students will win against Vucic”, referencing the wave of student-led protests against his government.
The podcast’s launch comes amid Vucic’s already extensive
The podcast’s launch comes amid Vucic’s already extensive presence in traditional media ahead of nationwide elections expected to be held in the coming months.
According to Serbian election watchdog CRTA, by August 18 he had made 64 live television appearances that month, already surpassing his previous monthly record of 61, set in March 2025.
Source: balkaninsight.com
