Trump to appear on Joe Rogan's podcast in play for young male voters

Former President Donald Trump sits down pinch podcast big Joe Rogan for nan first clip Friday, appearing connected nan highly celebrated "The Joe Rogan Experience," arsenic he reaches retired to an assemblage of mostly young males arsenic imaginable voters.

The podcast, which boasts astir 15.7 cardinal followers, a Spotify typical confirms to ABC News, is greater than nan organization of immoderate of nan 7 predetermination battleground states.

Rogan, nan erstwhile big of nan mid-2000s NBC reality crippled show "Fear Factor," besides has astir 17.5 cardinal YouTube subscribers and 19.3 cardinal Instagram followers. Put together pinch his Spotify listeners, this comprises an assemblage of astir 52.5 million.

Unsurprisingly, this is nan most-listened-to podcast connected Spotify, according to nan app's charts. And Rogan is successful a convention of his own.

In this May 7, 2022, record photo, Joe Rogan attends an arena successful Phoenix.

Christian Petersen/Getty Images, FILE

According to a Bloomberg News ranking of podcasts successful March, nan 2nd astir celebrated podcast astatine nan time, TED Talks Daily, boasted simply 5 cardinal followers. A podcast ranking from Edison Research successful August besides shows Rogan astatine nan apical of nan pack.

The number of group pursuing Rogan's podcast is astir half nan number of Americans who person already formed ballots for nan 2024 statesmanlike predetermination truthful far. As of Thursday afternoon, pinch little than 2 weeks to Election Day, much than 30 cardinal Americans person voted early, per nan University of Florida Election Lab.

For her part, connected Thursday, Vice President Kamala Harris was taping pinch nan 11th astir celebrated show connected Edison's ranking, Club Shay Shay, hosted by erstwhile NFL prima Shannon Sharpe, scheduled to aerial connected Monday.

Sitting pinch Rogan is simply a clear effort for Trump to make inroads pinch younger males, arsenic nan assemblage largely skews that way. Political figures person been blanketing nan podcast waves this cycle, from Harris joining nan ever celebrated pinch women "Call Her Daddy," and Sen. Bernie Sanders, Sen J.D. Vance, and Trump besides appearing connected comedian Theo Von's chart-topping show.

Rogan, a comedian, is difficult to pin down politically. Last cycle, he said was apt voting for Bernie Sanders, who was connected nan programme successful August 2019.

And successful April 2021, Rogan came nether occurrence for his arguable claims astir nan COVID-19 vaccine.

"If you're a patient person, and you're exercising each nan time, and you're young, and you're eating well, like, I don't deliberation you request to interest astir this," Rogan said connected his podcast.

In 2022, Rogan told nan Lex Fridman podcast he was "not a Trump protagonist successful immoderate way, shape, aliases form," adding that Trump is simply a "polarizing figure" and an "existential threat to populist itself."

At nan time, Rogan besides expressed that he declined to induce Trump connected his show. "I've had nan opportunity to person him connected my show much than once. I've said nary each time," he said. "I don't want to thief him."

Republican statesmanlike nominee erstwhile President Donald Trump speaks astatine a Turning Point Action run rally, Oct. 23, 2024, successful Duluth, Ga.

Alex Brandon/AP

Yet, this clip around, though he has distanced himself from self-labeling arsenic a governmental communicator, Rogan has go much progressive successful nan governmental sphere and expressed praise for Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

"I'm not nan feline to get governmental accusation from," Rogan wrote connected X successful August aft clarifying he wasn't endorsing Kennedy Jr. connected his show but lauded his characteristic arsenic good arsenic Trump's guidance to his first assassination effort successful July.

"He's nan only 1 who makes consciousness to me," Rogan said of RFK Jr. successful nan August episode. "He doesn't onslaught people. He attacks actions and ideas but he's overmuch much reasonable and intelligent."

In response, Trump posted connected his societal media platform, "It will beryllium absorbing to spot really loudly Joe Rogan gets BOOED nan adjacent clip he enters nan UFC Ring??? MAGA2024."

Trump's quality connected Rogan's podcast comes arsenic he continues to prosecute successful long-form media, peculiarly capitalizing connected podcast platforms pinch ample younker audiences.

When asked astir his caller podcast appearances during an question and reply pinch Fox News' Maria Bartiromo this month, Trump confirmed that his youngest son, 18-year-old Barron Trump, influences him by exposing him to specified platforms. "He tells maine astir each nan basking guys," he said.

According to Edison Research, podcasts scope 48% of 18-34-year aged Americans each week.