'Something is afoot': Joe Rogan joins pro-MAGA influencers in ditching Trump campaign

09 August 2024

Joe Rogan, the “king of podcasting,” who recently signed a new, $250 million deal with Spotify – after his 2022 $200 million Spotify agreement – isn’t a “MAGA influencer,” but he comes close. Or he did, until now.

Thursday night Rogan, who reportedly has 14.5 million followers on Spotify alone, endorsed RFK Jr. for President.

Rogan, who at times has praised Donald Trump, was defended by him and told to not apologize in the wake of controversy surrounding his use of the “n” word and racist language. Ron DeSantis in 2022 also defended Rogan for using the “n” word.

Last year Rogan announced he would support the Florida GOP governor’s presidential campaign instead of “a dead man as a president,” referring to President Joe Biden. Back in 2020 Rogan supported Bernie Sanders for President.

But Rogan’s also hosted top MAGA influencers, far-right extremists, and billionaire bros on his show. Some of his best-known guests include conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, white nationalism-promoting Tucker Carlson, and billionaire Elon Musk (who reportedly has turned X into a pro-Trump/pro-MAGA platform.)

In a 2022 CNN opinion column, Peniel E. Joseph talked “about exposing who Rogan really is and admitting that his brand of conversation, which at times traffics in conspiracy theories, cultural intolerance and blatant racism, attracts millions of avid listeners and corporate sponsors hungry to advertise their wares to such followers. Rogan is, in fact, an agent of these social ills, which he packages and sends out to his audience clothed in the language of moderation and moral equivalence.”

“Rogan has horribly and deliberately misgendered a trans MMA fighter. He’s discouraged young people from getting the Covid-19 vaccine, hosted guests who question its validity and given a platform to climate skepticism from controversial clinical psychologist Jordan Peterson.”

In that light Rogan’s endorsement of RFK Jr. over Trump makes sense despite declaring less than two weeks ago, “She’s gonna win,” referring to Vice President Kamala Harris’s presidential bid.

Rogan isn’t alone.

On Friday, The Washington Spectator’s Dave Troy, who tracks extremism and global trends, observed: “Joe Rogan, Tim Pool, and Nick Fuentes have made public statements against Trump today. Something is afoot.”

Pool is a right-wing podcaster. In what appears to now have been deleted, Pool also wrote, according to NJ.com: ““I think trump is on track to lose and this is why Dems are a cult, will march in lockstep MAGA die hards can’t form alliances properly Independents / post libs will say fuck that. Registered dems outnumber GOP by almost 12m. … There’s a reason they can’t get a Rogan endorsement and it’s exactly this behavior The top podcast, markedly independent, fair and honest And they decide to go to war with it instead of trying to ally with it.”

Minutes later, Troy wrote: “Pool now claims to be walking back his comment. But he had to know it would result in a firestorm. Watch this space. I stand by the assertion that something is afoot. What exactly remains to be seen.”

Earlier Friday, The New Republic reported, “White supremacist, Hitler fan, and far-right political pundit Nick Fuentes shockingly revoked his support from Donald Trump’s campaign early Friday, announcing on social media that he and his allies believed that the presidential bid is headed for a ‘catastrophic loss.’”

Fuentes, along with Kanye West (“Ye”) notably dined with Trump at Mar-a-Lago right after announcing his 2024 campaign.

Meanwhile, another MAGA influencer, Laura Loomer, “is sounding the alarm about former President Donald Trump’s campaign,” as Raw Story reports.

“President Trump needs to make some serious changes in his campaign ASAP,” Loomer posted on X. “The ground game is not sufficient. The offense is lacking. The communication is dismal. The momentum is crashing. Why are people who want to assist being pushed away instead of being embraced? 89 days left. You need a lot more than just ‘Vibes.’ God only knows how many opportunities have been missed. Sad to see talent go to waste.”

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