Joe Rogan is a very interesting person if you ask me. I don't listen to his show often because 3 hours is a lot to ask of a person to stay focused on one show. I can't believe that he does as many of them as he does for the most part. How does he find the time when he has so many other obligations such as UFC and his stand-up comedy tour?
Well recently he was asked about why it is that he has never had Trump on his show and in true Rogan style he responded perfectly honestly.
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Rogan has frequently been attacked by the left for being a conservative shill but this is just because Rogan, unlike most people, doesn't subscribe to a belief in either party as being the "right" one. Years ago, he did say that he would rather vote for Trump than Biden, and conservatives took this as a "he's one of us!" sign.
He is not one of you. Rogan is an unusual specimen in that he approaches every issue with a clear slate and isn't just going to believe what his party tells him to think. I kind of wish that more people would behave this way but sadly, I think that most Americans just do what the Donkey or the Elephant tells them to do.
What got Rogan in trouble with some conservatives is when he said this
“I am not a Trump supporter, in any way, shape, or form. I have had the opportunity to have him on my show, more than once, and I have said no every time…I don’t want to help him, I’m not interested in helping him,”
Obviously for a lot of Trump's very dedicated fanbase, this was not the statements they want to hear. Personally, I don't love or hate Trump any more than any other President and don't really believe that he or any other President has or had nearly as much impact on the direction of the country as people want to believe. Sure they pass some executive orders many of which get struck down by the court and anything that does make it through gets reversed by the next guy from the other party. It's all just a really long and boring game of ping-pong and nothing really changes.
Here's why Rogan could only lose by having Trump on his show: Love him or hate him, Trump tends to try to dominate any conversation he is involved in even if this means saying the same thing over and over again. There have been some good points that DJT has tried to convey in the past that were totally ruined by him dragging out the statement to essentially say the same thing half a dozen ways in one paragraph and this really turned off listeners like me. I'm like "dude, we get it, stop talking!"
Rogan wouldn't be able to stop him from droning on and since the Joe Rogan Experience is mostly unscripted and goes on for 3 hours this could get really ugly really fast. Also, there is no doubt that Trump would use this opportunity to only promote himself and give political half-answers to any questions that Joe might ask.
The other thing is that even though he has withstood several cancel culture attempts on his brand in the past, the people that hate Trump really hate Trump and would probably double down on their efforts and pressure Spotify to get rid of him. Thus far Spotify has not succumbed to any of the pressure, but that might be what it takes to make that happen. I'm sure Rogan likes his show and he is very good at it, drawing in 11 million listeners to every podcast.... but I am sure he likes the $70 million even more. He's no going to take this chance.
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Lastly, Joe generally doesn't invite politicians onto his show from either side. Instead he invites celebrities, who have their own political opinions of course, or people in the media who definitely do. He then gets them drunk or high and they have a funny and informative conversation. This would definitely not happen with Trump on the show.
While it would probably end up being the most listened to one-time podcast ever if he were to have Trump on, the long-term damage would likely be immense. Joe is still seen as impartial and independent, and I think his continued success depends on this. Joe is making the correct choice by denying Trump a spot on his show and I commend him for doing so.
For the conservatives out there that are pissed at this decision and statement on his part: Cool your jets. Your guy is getting plenty of exposure as it is. I don't think going on Rogan would benefit him in any way. If by some magic chance it did happen, I think it would only damage the guy.
