Former President Donald Trump is set to make his debut on Joe Rogan’s highly influential podcast, “The Joe Rogan Experience,” this Friday. This appearance marks an effort to connect with a younger demographic, predominantly young male voters, as he campaigns for the 2024 presidential election.
Rogan’s podcast, which has about 15.7 million followers according to Spotify, surpasses the population of any of the current key battleground states for the election. The exact release date of the episode has not yet been revealed.
In addition to a substantial Spotify audience, Rogan boasts around 17.5 million YouTube subscribers and 19.3 million Instagram followers, totaling nearly 52.5 million across platforms, making his podcast the most-listened-to on Spotify.
A Bloomberg News report from March identified Rogan as the leading figure among podcasts, significantly ahead of competitors, with the second most popular show, TED Talks Daily, garnering only 5 million followers. Recent data from Edison Research further reinforces Rogan’s dominance in the podcasting space.
Interestingly, Rogan’s audience is comparable to the early voting turnout for the upcoming election. As of the latest updates, over 30 million Americans have already cast their ballots, nearing the report of early voting prior to Election Day.
In a parallel effort to engage with younger audiences, Vice President Kamala Harris recently recorded an episode for “Club Shay Shay,” hosted by former NFL player Shannon Sharpe, which ranks 11th in popularity according to Edison.
Trump’s interview with Rogan is seen as a strategic move to tap into the show’s primarily young male audience. Other political figures have similarly utilized popular podcasts this election cycle, including Harris on “Call Her Daddy” and various senators appearing on comedian Theo Von’s show.
Rogan’s political views have been hard to define; he previously expressed support for Bernie Sanders in 2019 and faced backlash for comments regarding the COVID-19 vaccine in 2021. He has previously stated he was not a supporter of Trump, noting the former president’s polarizing nature.
However, Rogan’s recent commentary suggests he may be shifting his stance, having praised Robert F. Kennedy Jr. while discussing various presidential candidates. Trump responded to this by mockingly questioning how Rogan would be received at his next UFC event.
As Trump continues to engage with long-form media formats like podcasts, he acknowledges the influence of his son, Barron, in guiding him towards these youth-oriented platforms. According to Edison Research, podcasts are now reaching 48% of Americans aged 18-34 weekly.