In the final weeks of the 2024 presidential campaign, Vice President Kamala Harris was offered the chance to appear on the Joe Rogan Experience, the most popular podcast in the country. She ultimately decided not to do the interview.
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Former President Donald Trump had a successful three-hour conversation with Rogan, which garnered 38 million views on YouTube in just three days. Rogan ultimately endorsed Trump the night before the election.
It was unlikely that Rogan, who has leaned towards the right, would endorse Harris. Most of Rogan’s viewers, who are predominantly younger and male, would probably have a more favorable view of Trump than Harris.
Even so, 40 million viewers is a lot of viewers. If Harris could have left a positive impression on even a small subset of those Rogan fans, the interview would have been worthwhile. Additionally, the interview could have helped dispel the notion that she is stiff and impersonal, provided she did well. In essence, Harris stood to gain a lot from a successful appearance.
It’s possible that Harris simply wasn’t prepared for a three-hour conversation with Rogan. If that was her reason for declining, then it was her choice; Rogan himself believes that she declined due to her team’s concerns over the time commitment and lack of editing.
However, Jennifer Palmieri, an advisor to Doug Emhoff, the vice president’s husband, offered a different explanation. Palmieri stated to The Financial Times that Harris’ team turned down Rogan due to “concerns about how the interview would be perceived within the Democratic Party.”
“There was backlash from some of our progressive staff who didn’t want her to appear on it,” Palmieri said.
While this could be a convenient excuse, it sheds light on how young, progressive staffers are negatively impacting Democratic campaigns and institutions aligned with the party. Independent journalist Zaid Jilani noted on X: “The news that Kamala Harris avoided Rogan due to fear of progressive backlash confirms my belief that she was not ready for prime time. You can’t negotiate with Putin or Kim Jong Un if you can’t handle Joe Rogan and a 23-year-old staffer.”
Palmieri later clarified her statements on X, attributing scheduling issues as the main reason for the interview not taking place rather than frustrations from progressive staffers.
“Despite any potential backlash, the campaign had decided to pursue the interview and the Vice President was prepared to do it,” she explained.
Nevertheless, it raises questions as to why there was little concern about Harris’ association with former Republican Rep. Liz Cheney potentially upsetting progressive staffers. Is the Democratic Party accepting of Cheney but not of Rogan?
I am joined by Amber Duke to discuss Trump nominating Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) as secretary of state, the media blaming Elon Musk and misinformation for Trump’s victory, the Democratic Party’s finger-pointing, and the possibility of abolishing the Education Department.
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Watch the #D23Brasil Special Look of Marvel Studios’ #Thunderbolts* in theaters May 2, 2025. pic.twitter.com/c0g2x5EdnI
— Marvel Studios (@MarvelStudios) November 9, 2024
