Donald Trump’s extensive three-hour discussion on The Joe Rogan Experience on Friday, October 25, was characterized by an array of unchecked assertions and off-topic digressions, leaving many observers unimpressed. Notably, progressive commentator Kyle Kulinski criticized the session, deeming it “the absolute worst interview of a major political candidate that I’ve ever witnessed.”
During the conversation, Rogan, previously skeptical of Trump and labeling him an “existential threat to democracy,” displayed a softened demeanor towards the former president. Trump adopted his typical discourse style known as “the weave,” comprising a series of tangential discussions that largely went unchallenged by Rogan. When questioned about his inaccurate claims surrounding the 2020 election, he evaded by stating, “We’ll discuss it another time,” before shifting to a different topic.
I’m an hour and 12 minutes into the Rogan, Trump interview and it is by far the single worst interview of a major political candidate I’ve ever seen in my life. Embarrassing isn’t a strong enough word. I’m in awe of how horribly stupid this is.
— Secular Talk? (@KyleKulinski) October 26, 2024
The rambling nature of the interview included odd discussions about extraterrestrial life, with Trump claiming, “there’s no reason not to believe that Mars and all these planets don’t have life.” This prompted Rogan to clarify the subject by emphasizing NASA’s significant explorations of the Red Planet.
This is Joe Rogan realizing Donald Trump staged his own assassination attempt. pic.twitter.com/zZGLeHNBuz
— Evan (@daviddunn177) October 26, 2024
In addition to the peculiar tangents, Trump’s controversial remarks, such as labeling his rivals as “the enemy from within” and calling the hosts of The View “stupid,” went largely unchecked by Rogan, who exhibited minimal pushback. The host’s failure—or reluctance—to critically interrogate Trump’s claims, especially his prioritization of personal loyalty over democratic values, underlined the limited potential of this format for serious political dialogue, even across a lengthy three hours.
Trump: Dictators are the smartest people. Xi controls 1.4 billion people with an iron fistRogan: But dictators are evil and dangerousTrump: Actually, we have evil people in our country pic.twitter.com/Pr6mwqFMjr
— Kamala HQ (@KamalaHQ) October 26, 2024
The drawn-out conversation also delayed Trump’s campaign schedule, with his rally in Traverse City, Michigan, beginning three hours late. Supporters braved the cold, with many choosing to leave before the event even started. “I am deeply sorry,” Trump apologized to the remaining audience. “We got a bit caught up, and I figured you wouldn’t mind too much because we’re all focused on winning.”
The overall response to the interview indicates it fell short of its intended impact among both critics and followers. Designed to resonate with Rogan’s large demographic of young male voters, who number around 14.5 million on Spotify, the conversation faced backlash due to its aimless structure and Rogan’s persistent amiability, which went unchallenged throughout the duration of the interview.
Joe Rogan slowly seeming to realize that Trump is totally insane is an incredible read pic.twitter.com/SdepLG9csu
— Swann Marcus (@SwannMarcus89) October 26, 2024
Regardless of the initial intent behind the interview, it seems unlikely to have achieved its goals. If anything, it revealed Trump’s propensity to ramble, evade straightforward responses, and make unverified statements with little scrutiny. He emphasized his inclination towards deceit as a mark of strength, indicating that he perceives no repercussions for falsehoods since he feels outside typical political evaluations.
? Trump & RoganTrump says he won, Trump says he lostTrump says didn’t lose, Trump says they say he lost Rogan laughs pic.twitter.com/0xu5woZPDv
— Today™️ (@Azi) October 26, 2024
For a campaign attempting to widen its appeal through non-traditional media—at least in an effort to divert the “fascist” label—the three-hour engagement may have raised more concerns than confidence regarding the candidate’s readiness for leadership.
Leave a Reply