In a nearly three-hour interview on The Joe Rogan Experience, former President Donald Trump explored topics ranging from tax reform to his view of extraterrestrial life. The podcast, released Friday night and highly listened by young males, marked a departure from traditional campaign stops, allowing Trump to engage with a demographic his campaign seeks to mobilize ahead of Election Day.
The wide-ranging conversation touched on familiar themes for Trump, including his claims of election fraud in 2020, an assertion Rogan did not challenge directly. Rogan, who just two years ago criticized Trump as a "threat to democracy," shifted his stance, saying that a recent attempt on Trump's life prompted his invitation to the former president. "Once they shot you, I was like, 'He's got to come in here,'" Rogan said.
Rogan was a receptive yet occasionally challenging interviewer, as reported by The New York Times. "I want to talk about 2020 because you said over and over again that you were robbed," Rogan said, giving Trump a chance to reiterate his debunked claims of widespread fraud in the 2020 election and his belief that he won. "How do you think you were robbed? Everybody always cuts you off."
At one point, Joe Rogan appears to back Trump's questioning about election processes by comparing the social pushback and criticism of those who question election results to that of people skeptical about COVID-19 vaccines. Rogan says, "You get labeled an election denier. It's like being labeled an anti-vaxxer if you question some of the health consequences that people have from the COVID-19 shots.
Back in 2022, Rogan faced criticism for his comments on COVID-19. Some of his statements were widely viewed as misinformation, sparking a backlash that led artists like Neil Young and Joni Mitchell to remove their music from Spotify, which they believed was supporting Rogan in protest.
Trump floated the idea of eliminating the federal income tax during a passage of the interview, citing past economic policies, which led Rogan to clarify the former president's stance. Trump responded that tariffs could serve as an alternative revenue source, suggesting a return to economic practices from the late 19th century.
While the former president further accused Harris of economic policies that he claimed had harmed Michigan's auto industry, he continued to promote his plan to revive the U.S. auto industry, The Washington Examiner reported. In the final weeks of his campaign, Trump's pledges to restore the auto and manufacturing sectors through tariffs on foreign-made goods became a recurring theme during his appearances. "Vote Trump, and you will see a mass exodus of manufacturing jobs from Mexico to Michigan, from Shanghai to Sterling Heights, and from Beijing to right here in Traverse City," he told supporters gathered at Cherry Capital Airport.
Another notable topic was the potential for extraterrestrial life. Rogan pressed Trump on government secrets related to life beyond Earth, prompting Trump to acknowledge that he had "never been a believer," but told he'd spoken with credible pilots who reported unexplained aerial phenomena. "There's no reason not to think that Mars and all these planets don't have life," Trump added, though Rogan reminded him that extensive exploration has yet to confirm such discoveries.
The interview at Rogan's studio in Austin concluded just hours before Trump's rally in Traverse City, Michigan, where he arrived almost three hours late. Stepping off his plane to the theme song of former WWE wrestler The Undertaker, Trump took the stage and addressed his delay, attributing it to his extended conversation with Rogan. He praised Rogan as "a great guy" and joked that the podcast was "the longest interview I've ever done in my life."
In his Michigan address, Trump criticized Vice President Kamala Harris for attending an event in Houston with Beyoncé on the same night, suggesting it was inappropriate amid rising tensions in the Middle East.
Rogan posted the interview on YouTube shortly after its recording, garnering over a million views within hours and addressing initial confusion when some fans questioned whether the episode had been censored. He later clarified on social media that a technical glitch on Spotify delayed its simultaneous release on that platform. Rogan's show boasts 14.5 million followers on Spotify and 17.6 million on YouTube, attracting many young, male, low-turnout voters whom the Trump campaign aims to mobilize for the polls.
Despite earlier discussions with Rogan's team, Vice President Kamala Harris did not appear on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast. Speculation about a potential Harris-Rogan interview gained traction as the vice president's team attempted to attract more male voters. "We talked with Rogan and his team about the podcast. Unfortunately, it isn't going to work out right now because of the scheduling of this period of the campaign," explained Harris campaign spokesperson Ian Sams.
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