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According to reports, Trump will appear on Joe Rogan’s podcast for the first time ever.
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Trump has recently appeared on several podcasts aimed at young men.
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Although young men prefer Trump, they also have relatively low voter turnout.
For a presidential candidate, the opportunity to speak your message directly into the ears of millions of potential voters is very different from that of most campaign messages, which often take the form of impersonal mass texts or emails.
But that’s exactly what former President Donald Trump just secured for himself with a scheduled appearance on Joe Rogan’s podcast — his first in the podcast’s 15-year series.
With more than 14 million followers on Spotify, The Joe Rogan Experience is one of the most popular podcasts in the world. The episodes, which typically feature long conversations between Rogan and a guest, regularly last more than two and a half to three hours.
Politico first reported on Tuesday that Trump would appear on the show, citing a person familiar with the matter. The outlet reported that the episode would be taped Friday at Rogan’s studio in Austin, Texas. Several other outlets confirmed the panned appearance.
Representatives for Trump and Rogan did not respond to requests for comment from Business Insider.
Rogan has not endorsed a candidate in the 2024 election. After Rogan made positive comments about Robert F. Kennedy Jr. while still in the race, Trump wrote on Truth Social in August that Rogan “would be booed the next time he enters the UFC Ring.”
In 2022, Rogan said he was “in no way, shape or form” a Trump supporter. He also said he has turned down opportunities to have Trump on his show. “I don’t want to help him. I’m not interested in helping him,” Rogan said at the time.
On an episode of his show in September, Rogan said Trump was not a “dictator” as president, despite what critics feared. He also said that during Trump’s presidency, “the economy has done really well and he’s really tried to cut down on some of the bullshit that’s going on in this country.” Although regarding Trump’s personality, he added, “We don’t necessarily want that as the guy with the finger on the button.”
The Rogan interview would be Trump’s final appearance on a podcast that focuses primarily on a specific block of potential voters who generally like him but don’t necessarily show up to the polls: young men. In recent months, Trump has also spoken with popular podcasters Lex Fridman, Theo Von and Shawn Ryan.
Although young voters generally appear to favor Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump fares better among young men. New York Times/Siena polls conducted in six swing states in August found that young men between the ages of 18 and 29 supported Trump by 13 points. In contrast, the polls showed young women supporting Harris by 38 points.
However, young people tend to have relatively low turnout, with an estimated 50% of potential voters between the ages of 18 and 29 actually casting a ballot in 2020, according to the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement at Tufts University. Meanwhile, men vote less often than women across all age groups.
Alison Dagnes, a political scientist and professor of political media at Shippensburg University, said lower voter turnout explains why Trump is using all these male-oriented podcasts: mobilization.
“He’s doing ‘Go Vote,’” Dagnes said, adding that Trump sees young men as his bread-and-butter. “He’s not trying to get another person to like him. He’s trying to get the people who like him out, and that’s why he’s going after Joe Rogan.”
By contrast, Dagnes said Harris’ recent media strategy seemed more focused on persuasion, or winning over voters who might not be sold on her. She pointed to the broader range of media Harris has appeared on, including “The View,” Alex Cooper’s “Call Her Daddy” podcast, Howard Stern and Fox News.
Harris was reportedly in talks to appear on Rogan’s podcast, but nothing has been confirmed. Meanwhile, Cooper of “Call Her Daddy” said she also invited Trump to appear on her show, which primarily targets young women.
Dagnes said both candidates’ media strategies this election cycle show how much the media landscape has changed, and she expects podcasts will continue to play a role in upcoming elections.
Read the original article on Business Insider
