In an ideal election year, whether midterm or presidential, the right candidate would be compelling enough that no one would need to resort to choosing the best candidate out of two awful ones. Sometimes this is even an important strategy in elections rather than just a moral obligation. But 2024 could be shaping up to be another lesser-of-two-evils dilemma, at least according to Joe Rogan.
Recently, on his show, The Joe Rogan Experience, the popular podcast host and occasional conservative commentator made the case that he’d vote for former President Donald Trump due to his effective policies over President Joe Biden.
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“When you look at it from a policy perspective — if you just look at it on paper, what [Trump] did was effective,” Rogan said. “A lot of people think it was effective. You don’t like him as a personality, so you ignore that — don’t do that. Look at it in terms of a policy perspective. People liked the ideas that he was putting forward. And now you’re saying, ‘Oh, the wall is racist’ — f***ing everybody thinks there needs to be a wall. Even the mayor of New York City is now calling to stop immigration into the city.”
Rogan continued:
Rogan is right in some respects: Trump did enact some good policies, and he did some effective things, three stellar Supreme Court appointments chief among them. It is wise to look at political candidates and consider their policies, not just character, demeanor, or charisma. But since 2020, and following the events of Jan. 6, 2021, Trump has shown he is no longer fit for office. He refuses to acknowledge the election results and is drowning in indictments — and they can’t all be the result of a “weaponized DOJ,” an oft-repeated excuse in conservative circles.
It’s possible Rogan is being a pragmatist, and he accepts that over a year before the 2024 election, both parties have already resigned themselves to Trump and Biden. But it doesn’t have to be this way.
Not only is it true that polls could change significantly, but each major party's front-runner could change drastically, whether because of indictments or physical and mental health.
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Here’s the most important thing: America, and specifically the GOP, still has a choice. We still have time. The Republican Party doesn’t have to back Trump. Republicans and the media, along with platforms such as Rogan’s, have the power to shun Trump, scan the candidates, and throw their weight behind someone else — someone who is more fit for office and who will better represent conservatives.
Rogan could be right that Trump is the better of two bad choices in 2024, but we aren’t there yet. We don’t have to make that a reality in 2024.
Nicole Russell (@russell_nm) is a contributor to the Washington Examiner's Beltway Confidential blog. She is a mother of four and an opinion columnist for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram in Texas.