Politico

Top contentious ballot measures that could bring drastic policy changes

lead image

Podcast host Joe Rogan declined the Harris campaign’s offer to record an interview with Kamala Harris on Tuesday because he “would have had to travel to her and they only wanted to do an hour.”

But the interview isn’t off the table.

“The Harris campaign has not passed on doing the podcast,” Rogan said in a post on X. He wants it to take place at his Austin studio, saying his “sincere wish” is to “get to know her as a human being.”

Harris will conduct five interviews on Tuesday ahead of her speech in Washington, D.C. Four will air on television in Detroit, Milwaukee, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, and the fifth will be on a Pennsylvania Spanish radio station to reach Puerto Ricans and other Latinos, according to her campaign. The Harris campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment about Rogan’s post.

“The Joe Rogan Experience” is the largest podcast in the U.S., with an audience that is largely young and male — a demographic where former President Donald Trump leads Harris. The Harris campaign has worked to gain support with male voters in recent weeks. An interview with Rogan would offer Harris the opportunity to make her case to his large audience.

Rogan, a comedian-turned-podcaster and UFC commentator, has hosted a range of guests with diverse ideologies on his show, from conspiracy theorist Alex Jones to comedians like Chris Rock and political figures like Trump and Bernie Sanders.

Trump’s sit-down in Austin on Friday with Rogan, which has more than 37 million views on YouTube, lasted the usual three hours. In the wide-ranging interview, he said a politician needs “the attitude of a comedian” and shared that he regretted some past political appointments. He also called hosts of The View “so stupid.”

In his interview with Rogan, Trump said he hoped Harris would agree to sit down with Rogan because “it would be a mess.” Rogan responded that they “would have a fine conversation.”

Harris sat down with former NFL player Shannon Sharpe on his podcast “Club Shay Shay” yesterday. She’s previously appeared on Alex Cooper’s podcast “Call Her Daddy,” Spotify’s second-biggest podcast behind “The Joe Rogan Experience.”