Podcaster Joe Rogan criticized Democrats on Tuesday, accusing them of alienating many former supporters, himself included, after the election.
Rogan noted that after President-elect Trump’s victory, Democrats began recognizing the influence of independent podcasts like his. Vice President Kamala Harris’ decision not to appear on Rogan’s podcast, despite being invited, is often cited as a significant mistake.
During the campaign, Harris appeared on several popular podcasts. However, none matched the reach of Rogan’s show. For example, Trump’s October 25th episode on Rogan’s podcast amassed over 50 million views on YouTube. In contrast, Harris’ October 6th appearance on the "Call Her Daddy" podcast has yet to hit 1 million views.
“I think these Call Her Daddy shows and all these different shows she went on—I mean, I’m sure they had an impact,” Rogan said. “But I think in the future… they’re scrambling to create their own version of this show. This is one thing that keeps coming up, like, ‘We need our own Joe Rogan,’ right? But they had me! I was on their side!”
“Well, number one, they had you,” his guest Marc Andreessen responded. “They had you and drove you away, that’s number one. But they also have ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN…”
“Right, but that doesn’t work anymore,” Rogan argued. “You’re using smoke signals, and everybody else has a cellphone. It doesn’t work. It’s a bizarre time. It’s fascinating, though, because there’s so much uncertainty.”
Rogan, who has expressed liberal views in the past, supported Bernie Sanders during the 2020 Democratic primaries. However, in 2024, he endorsed Trump shortly before the election.
Andreessen suggested that this election was marked by multiple “timelines,” or pivotal historical shifts. He pointed to the first attempted assassination of Trump in July as a major turning point. He described Trump’s reaction as “the most conspicuous display of physical bravery I’ve ever seen.” The second significant shift, he claimed, occurred on Election Day.
The reasons behind Harris’ absence from Rogan’s show remain contested. Stephanie Cutter, a senior adviser to the campaign, told “Pod Save America” they had hoped to fit in an interview but couldn’t. However, other insiders suggest a deeper issue.
According to the Financial Times, Jennifer Palmieri, a senior adviser to second gentleman Doug Emhoff, said concerns about perception within the Democratic Party played a role. “There was backlash from some of our progressive staff who didn’t want her to be on it and feared a backlash,” Palmieri explained.