Donald Trump won. Everyone thought abortion, gun laws, and immigration would be the most important factors. They were wrong - they played only a partial role. The economy and judgement of the incumbent also played crucial roles. But there was something missing that, when reflecting on its outcome, was fundamental in mobilising a voter base to vote a certain way. Step forward Joe Rogan.
Joe Rogan’s conversation with Donald Trump was estimated to have reached just shy of 50 million views by the time the American electorate went to vote in early November 2024. With unprecedented asymmetrical polarisation in America, many had already made their minds up who to vote for. Crucially, though, many had not decided. While many of the 50 million views were from other countries, we can still assume tens of millions would have listened/watched that conversation in America.
It was not just the fact that Trump spoke with Rogan for almost 3 hours in late October. It was that Elon Musk and JD Vance, two heavyweights in the Republican set up, also spoke for hours just before everyone casted their ballot.
But there was something missing that, when reflecting on its outcome, was fundamental in mobilising a voter base to vote a certain way. Step forward Joe Rogan.
And who for the Democrats? Not Kamala Harris, who shied away from an interview with Rogan. According to Rogan, she insisted that everything be scripted and that it takes place outside of Austin, despite Rogan having done all of his thousands of shows there. John Fetterman took the reins and chatted with Rogan for over two hours. After the conversation, Rogan posted on Instagram that he ‘is a very nice guy, and I really enjoyed talking to him and hearing his story’. One could feel that Rogan was attempting to give both Democrats and GOPs the opportunity to talk about the upcoming election. As much as Fetterman seems like a nice guy, his communication skills, similar to Robert F. Kennedy, make listening to him a challenging ordeal. For the Democrats, this was a massive strategic blunder.
It is true that Rogan has sympathies with the American right more than the left. Other podcasters have right and left leaning prejudices as well. But because these conversations managed to portray the human side of these political giants, momentum tilted favourably towards the Republicans. Just before the election – and probably influenced from his conversations with Trump, Vance, and Musk – Rogan endorsed Trump, further propelling Trump’s inexorable resurrection.
... Rogan endorsed Trump, further propelling Trump’s inexorable resurrection.
Trump swanned into the White House for a second time as his inner circle had successfully mobilised a large base of support, and Trump received a much higher youth support than what was predicted. The swing states swung firmly Republican.
An election outcome is always multifaceted, and nothing can be put down to just one cause. But this election, in my opinion, was a prime example of the power of podcasts – and it is vital politicians in the USA take note. And for politicians in the UK, too. We should begin to appreciate the power of podcasts as a very useful tool to reach out to large audiences. To politicians of all stripes: ignore podcasts at your peril!