By CBS (Entertainment) | Created at 2024-10-29 21:36:36 | Updated at 2024-11-05 14:07:14
1 week ago
Former President Donald Trump sought to appeal to young male voters when he sat down for an interview with Joe Rogan, the nation's most listened-to podcaster, for a whopping three hours.
Taped in Austin, Texas, and released on Friday night, the interview ranged from Trump telling many familiar stories from his rallies and other interviewers to engaging with Rogan on topics like the existence of UFOs.
The interview created an opportunity for the Republican nominee to highlight the hypermasculine tone that has defined much of his 2024 White House bid. The former president has made masculinity a central theme of his campaign, appearing on podcasts targeting young male voters and tapping surrogates who sometimes use crude language – which Trump has also used.
The podcaster is known for his hours-long interviews on "The Joe Rogan Experience," which is listed as No. 1 in the United States, according to Spotify's charts. He calls women "chicks" and once laughed as a comedian friend described repeatedly coercing young female comics into sex.
Throughout the lengthy conversation, Trump told familiar stories but occasionally dropped new color and nuance.
Rogan pressed Trump on whether he's "completely committed" to bringing Robert F. Kennedy Jr. into his administration.
"Oh, I completely am," Trump responded, but added he and Kennedy disagree on environmental policies. He said he'll tell Kennedy to "focus on health, do whatever you want."
Kennedy has been instrumental in spreading skepticism about vaccines, rejecting the overwhelming consensus among scientists that the benefits of inoculation outweigh the rare risk of side effects.
The conversation also touched on economic issues, with Rogan asking Trump if he was serious in recently raising the possibility of replacing federal income taxes with tariffs, or taxes on foreign imports.
"Yeah, sure. But why not?" Trump said. "Because — ready — our country was the richest in the, relatively, in the 1880s and 1890s, a president who was assassinated named McKinley. He was the tariff king. He spoke beautifully of tariffs. His language was really beautiful. We will not allow the enemy to come in and take our jobs and take our factories and take our workers and take our families unless they pay a big price, and the big price is tariffs. And he'd speak like that, but he was right. And then around, in the early 1900s, they switched over, stupidly, frankly, to an income tax."
He also repeated at length his grievances about the 2020 election, but said, "If I win, this will be my last election."
Trump said he's "never been a believer" in theories about extraterrestrial life visiting Earth. He said he is asked constantly about what the U.S. government knows about "the people coming from space." He said as president he was told "a lot" but he dodged Rogan's entreaties to discuss alien life in detail.
And he criticized federal subsidies aiming to significantly boost U.S. semiconductor manufacturing, one of President Biden's signature achievements. Chipmakers have credited the legislation for enabling billions of dollars in new factories, including in the battleground state of Arizona.
He also ripped Taiwan, the self-governing island democracy that has long been aligned with the U.S.
"You know, Taiwan, they stole our chip business," Trump told Rogan. "OK. They want us to protect and they want protection. They don't pay us money for the protection, you know? The mob makes you pay money, right?"
Trump called Chinese President Xi Jinping, whose Beijing government considers Taiwan a breakaway province, a "brilliant guy, whether you like it or not."
The podcast episode was taped before he traveled to a Michigan rally.
The interview comes as the former president has stepped back from some appearances on major television networks (including CBS News) while providing interviews to podcasters and YouTube channels like the Logan Paul Podcast.
"The Joe Rogan Experience", the most popular podcast on Spotify, has built an audience of more than 14 million on the streaming service. Rogan's freewheeling interviews have included everyone from scientists like Neil deGrasse Tyson to entertainers such as Post Malone. His audience is 80% male but is split between Democrats, Republicans and independents, which could be a key opportunity for the candidates as they campaign during the last few days ahead of Election Day on November 5, according to Edison Research.
"With such a diverse and politically balanced audience, Rogan's show offers candidates an invaluable opportunity to reach key voter groups, especially independents and younger voters," Edison said in a blog post earlier this month.
Here's what to know about Rogan, his podcast and his interview with Trump.
Who is Joe Rogan?
Rogan, 57, got his start as a comedian and actor, with an early role on the NBC sitcom "NewsRadio," where he played Joe Garrelli, an electrician for the show's fictional radio station.
He later hosted the game show "Fear Factor" and appeared in TV shows — sometimes appearing as himself — such as "Silicon Valley" and "The Man Show." Rogan also appeared in several comedy specials such as 2007's "Shiny Happy Jihad."
When did Joe Rogan Experience start recording?
Rogan started taping his podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience, in 2009, with the show reaching 11 million listeners by 2015.
Rogan then signed an exclusive deal with Spotify in 2020, which he extended in 2024 for a reported $250 million over the life of the contract.
When does Joe Rogan Experience usually release new episodes?
The Joe Rogan Experience pre-records several days in advance of releasing its podcast episodes, with interviews typically released daily at 1 p.m. Eastern Time on Tuesday through Friday and occasionally Saturday.
What are Joe Rogan's political views?
Joe Rogan has said he's not a conservative, even describing himself as a "a bleeding heart liberal" on a 2022 episode of his show, according to Variety.
"I'm so far away from being a Republican. Just because I believe in the Second Amendment and just because I support the military and just 'cause I support police [doesn't mean I'm a Republican]," he said.
Rogan also added that he supports a strong social safety net, noting that his family was on welfare when he was a child.
His podcast has hosted people with a wide range of political views, including Senator Bernie Sanders — whom Rogan endorsed in 2020 during the Vermont independent's primary campaign — to conservative activist Christopher Rufo.
As for his views on Trump, Rogan has expressed ambivalence, calling him a "polarizing figure" and once claiming he would never have him on his podcast, according to Newsweek.
Where does Joe Rogan live and record his podcast?
Rogan lives in Austin, Texas, where he also tapes his podcast. He and his family live in a nearly 11,000-square-foot house in the Spanish Oaks neighborhood of Austin, according to a local real estate company.
The $17 million home, which includes eight bedrooms, as well as a home theater, gym, sauna, wine cellar and pool, was designed by star architect and Studio MK27 founder Marcio Kogan.
Who is Joe Rogan's wife, Jessica Ditzel?
Joe Rogan married Jessica Ditzel in 2009, and the couple have two daughters, Lola and Rosy, as well as Ditzel's daughter Kayja Rose from a previous relationship, according to People magazine. Ditzel, a former cocktail waitress, is a "happy person," Rogan said in 2022.
"She's happy to be around — that's the kind of people you could have in your life as friends, as coworkers, as lovers, as wives and husbands. When you find those people, your life is better," he said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Aimee Picchi is the associate managing editor for CBS MoneyWatch, where she covers business and personal finance. She previously worked at Bloomberg News and has written for national news outlets including USA Today and Consumer Reports.
