Former President Donald Trump is set to record a podcast with the massively popular Joe Rogan on Friday, and there is speculation that Vice President Kamala Harris may well do the same, as both presidential nominees look to appeal to as many voters as they can, with less than two weeks until Election Day.
The expected and potential sit-downs of Trump and Harris with Rogan come at a time when politicians are increasingly stepping outside traditional media circuits to reach voters directly. The Joe Rogan Experience, boasting a listenership that rivals some of the largest TV networks, offers a raw, unedited arena where the two candidates can articulate their policies, counter criticisms, and humanize their personal brand amid a tight race for the White House.
Rogan, 57, is an comedian, podcaster and UFC color commentator. A New Jersey native, he is married to Jessica Ditzel, with whom he shares three children.
Rogan has been dubbed “libertarian-learning,” by CNN. He has described himself as socially liberal, supports freedom of speech and is a fan of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, having previously said he would make a good president.
The podcast’s first release was in 2009, and to date has released over 2,000 episodes, which typically range from one to three hours in length. In May 2011, Rogan secured a deal with SiriusXM to have the podcast air on its uncensored talk channel, The Virus. In 2013, video episodes of the podcast started to be uploaded to YouTube.
In May 2022, Rogan announced that the podcast would be exclusively available on Spotify in a licensing deal worth an estimated $200 million.
The podcast has had it’s share of infamous and controversial moments since it’s first release in 2009, from tech billionaire Elon Musk smoking marijuana live on air, to Rogan’s controversial comments about the COVID-19 vaccine, which sparked a Spotify boycott from artists including Neil Young and Joni Mitchell and been criticized for sharing misinformation.
