AUSTIN, TEXAS: Joe Rogan appears to be second-guessing his decision following months of pressure from Donald Trump's campaign to have him on his popular 'Joe Rogan Experience' podcast, despite openly shaking his hand at a UFC event.
Rogan, a comedian, sports commentator, and Spotify's highest-paid podcaster, has declined to host Trump on his show multiple times. He described Trump as a "polarizing figure" and an "existential threat to democracy," NY Times reports.
'I don't know. Maybe'
After denying repeated requests, Rogan is rethinking his decision to allow Trump on the JRE podcast. "I don't know. Maybe," Rogan said to Patrick Bet-David on Thursday's (August 3) broadcast when asked about bringing Trump on. "At a certain point in time." It would be a tremendous chance for Trump if Rogan hosts him. Rogan's podcast is one of the most popular podcasts, with approximately 11 million listeners. It is distinguished by Rogan's free-wheeling interview style and open-ended format, which gives unfiltered, if oftentimes unregulated, criticism from both ends of the political spectrum.
If Rogan decides to have him on JRE, he seems to have cleared limitations for doing so when questioned about it on Thursday, rather than talking about his agenda, Rogan said he wanted to ask Trump about the experience of being president. He said, "It would be interesting to hear his perspective on a lot of things."
Rogan further narrated lists of questions he wants to ask Trump, "I would like to know, what is it like when you actually get into office? I would like to know things like, what is it like versus perception? What is it actually like when you get in that building? Like what are you greeted with? When do you know that people are f***ing with you? When do you know that the intelligence agencies are lying to you, like when you decided to fire Comey? What was the thought? How much did you know? Like what's the machine like? What is the deep state really like? Really like?
He went on to say, "We have all these, you know, smoky room perceptions like from the Bill Hicks joke, where they show you the Kennedy assassination from an angle you've never seen before. You know, what is the machine that runs his country? Because it's very clear that it's not as simple as elected representatives that are doing the will of the people."
A Twitter user shared Rogan's clip, “When are you having Trump on?” “I don’t know…”
'I'm not a Trump supporter in any way'
To the chagrin of Trump's campaign crew, Rogan has constantly declined to host Trump. A shadow campaign funded by Trump's advisory team attempted to persuade Rogan to welcome Trump on the program, including ideas for a cage match between the famed host and former Trump friend Roger Stone.
While Rogan has willingly hosted right-wing provocateurs like the Daily Wire's Candace Owens and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones on his show, he has explicitly stated that he does not want to do anything that might bolster his credibility with his audience. "I'm not a Trump supporter in any way, shape, or form," Rogan declared on the Lex Fridman show in July 2022. "I've had the opportunity to have him on my show more than once. I've said no every time. I don't want to help him. I'm not interested in helping him."
