Trump's Appearance on Joe Rogan Could Be the Key Interview That Secures His Election Victory

The popular podcaster won’t spare him, but it’s the ideal chance to win over voters who value independence.

Speaking extensively is one of Donald Trump’s strongest suits. The former president frequently speaks for hours at his rallies, covering topics ranging from East Asian foreign policy to Dancing With the Stars contestants. He is so charismatic that he can keep a sizable stadium crowd even if he makes the odd decision to fall silent and start dancing to 80s songs.

Thus, it would seem obvious to make an appearance on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast. Former MMA commentator Rogan is the world’s most influential podcaster, interviewing everyone from the celebrity musician Kanye West to the socialist senator from Vermont, Bernie Sanders, to conspiracy theorist Alex Jones. Rogan’s naive demeanor (“chimps are eating humans? Jamie, pull up a video”) and crude humor make time fly, which is necessary considering that many of his conversations last more than four hours.

Both parties would benefit greatly from an interview with Trump. With over 15 million and counting, Joe Rogan’s fan base doesn’t usually fit into a traditional party box. They are frequently socially liberal and support abortion rights, universal healthcare, sexual freedom, and legalized cannabis (remember Elon Musk’s controversial appearance on the pod). They are also very skeptical about COVID lockdowns, DEI, gun control, and gender ideology.

Scepticism is the lodestar of Roganism: one recent guest earnestly argued in favour of the existence of a lost Ice Age civilisation destroyed 12,000 years ago, and urged listeners to consume the hallucinogenic drug ayahuasca. After a positive Rogan feature, it should not be surprising that RFK Jr. chose to run for president.

If Trump wants to defeat Kamala Harris in less than two weeks, he needs to win over Rogan supporters. They are so fiercely disputed in a national election because of their iconoclasm. The fact that Harris has rejected the muscular podcaster thus far demonstrates a haughty snobbishness that her knife-edge campaign can scarcely afford.

Personality will be significantly more important than policies when trying to win over the largest percentage of independent podcast guys. Harris has an issue with charisma since she wouldn’t recognize it if it landed on her head. She has avoided a lot of traditional media interviews, just like Trump. Even after receiving a glowing cover story from Time magazine a month earlier, she declined to speak with the publication. As evidenced by her patronizing visit on The Breakfast Club and her insulting appearance on the millennial “sex podcast” Call Her Daddy, Harris has favored speaking more directly to important Democratic groups.