Comedian Joe Rogan endorsed former President Donald Trump Monday on the eve of the presidential election. Rogan announced his endorsement on X after posting a new Joe Rogan Experience interview with billionaire Elon Musk, an outspoken Trump supporter.
Musk has appeared on Rogan’s show several times, back when Musk was a politically moderate Democratic voter. Musk endorsed Trump in July after Trump survived an assassination attempt and famously pumped his fist moments after being shot during a campaign rally in Butler, Pa.
The world’s richest man, Musk has become one of Trump’s largest donors and a prominent campaign surrogate. Musk has poured at least $119 million into his pro-Trump political-action committee and other Republican-affiliated organizations. His efforts have been largely directed at boosting Trump’s ground game and turning out potential swing-state voters.
In addition, Musk frequently promotes Trump to more than 200 million X followers and shares his thoughts on a number of political issues. Regarding election in this and future years, he warns that Democrats are attempting to turn millions of illegal immigrants into swing-state voters, to turn the country into what is effectively a one-party blue nation — much like the State of California today. Musk also promotes free speech and lambastes business over-regulation and woke racial and gender ideology.
The Joe Rogan Experience is the world’s most popular podcast, especially among the male voters that Trump’s campaign has heavily courted down the stretch. Trump sat down with Rogan for an interview in late October that lasted, like many Rogan podcasts, three hours. The pair covered topics ranging from Trump’s real estate business and presidency to life on Mars and the mental well-being of wales.
Soon after, Rogan interviewed Trump’s GOP running mate, Ohio Senator JD Vance, and Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman, a Democrat. Rogan attempted to interview Vice President Kamala Harris but balked when her campaign insisted on a one-hour limit and asked Rogan to conduct the interview in her campaign’s studio, with her staff present throughout.
Over the summer, Rogan lavished praise on former independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a move many read as an endorsement before Rogan issued a clarification. Kennedy subsequently dropped out of the race, endorsed Trump, and became a major Trump surrogate, with a promised role in a potential Trump cabinet.
Like Musk, Rogan was once a reliably left-wing Democratic voter; in 2020, he endorsed socialist Senator Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.) for president. But Rogan now appears to identify more with the Right on the Second Amendment, free speech, transgender ideology, Covid-19 restrictions and vaccines, and other contentious issues. One of Rogan’s favorite podcast guests, former Democratic representative Tulsi Gabbard, experienced a similar shift and is now a Republican and a top surrogate for the Trump campaign.