Joe Rogan needs you to know that calling Robert Kennedy Jr. “the one” presidential candidate who “is smart” wasn’t an endorsement.
It seemed like Rogan was backing the lengthy shot impartial presidential candidate when, throughout a Thursday episode of his podcast “The Joe Rogan Experience,” he known as Kennedy Jr. a “professional” man and described himself as “a fan.”
When discussing a hypothetical debate between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris together with his visitor, Bob Gymlan, Rogan mentioned politicians “gaslight you, they manipulate you, they promote narratives,” including: “The one one who’s not doing that’s Robert F Kennedy Jr.”
Kennedy Jr. embraced Rogan’s reward in a publish on X, writing: “From one ‘professional’ man to a different, thanks @JoeRogan for all the time placing substance first.”
However by Friday, Rogan walked it again after going through a meltdown from MAGA stans and direct assaults from Donald Trump himself.
“For the file, this is not an endorsement,” Rogan mentioned in a publish on X over a clip of him praising Kennedy Jr. “That is me saying that I like RFKjr as an individual, and I actually admire the best way he discusses issues with civility and intelligence. I feel we may use extra of that on this world.”
Rogan added: “I additionally assume Trump elevating his fist and saying ‘struggle!’ after getting shot is without doubt one of the most American fucking issues of all time. I am not the man to get political data from.”
However his publish was too little too late to appease Trump and his allies, who continued to assault the podcaster on-line.
“It will likely be attention-grabbing to see how loudly Joe Rogan will get BOOED the subsequent time he enters the UFC Ring??? MAGA2024,” Trump wrote in a publish on Reality Social shortly after Rogan publicly hedged his help of Kennedy.
On Rogan’s publish, Trump allies continued to insult Rogan’s intelligence and trustworthiness. Some advised the one means Rogan may redeem himself can be to host Trump for an interview on his massively popular podcast.
“It sounds such as you simply realized that the majority of your listeners are Trump supporters,” one person wrote in response to Rogan strolling again his feedback about Kennedy Jr. “Possibly it’s best to help them as a lot as they help you.”
Rogan and Trump’s shared demographics
In a 2022 look on Lex Fridman’s podcast, Rogan mentioned he has repeatedly turned down Trump’s requests to be on his present and indicated he’s “not a Trump supporter in any means, form or kind,” including, “I am not thinking about serving to him.”
In line with a YouGov ballot, Rogan’s viewers is 81% male, with greater than 56% of listeners beneath 35 — a key demographic for Trump within the coming election. Whereas Rogan has generally been painted as a conservative determine for his controversial statements about COVID-19 and his help of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, he hasn’t formally endorsed a candidate within the 2024 presidential election.
Mike Madrid, a Republican political guide, instructed The New York Instances that Rogan’s help of Kennedy Jr “takes straight from the Trump base.” Whereas Kennedy Jr. has embraced his marketing campaign as a “spoiler” for each Biden and Trump, political guide James Carville has predicted his candidacy would harm Trump’s campaign greater than the Democratic ticket.
In July, it briefly appeared that Kennedy Jr. would drop out of the race and endorse Trump himself. Nevertheless, a possible deal between the 2 — through which Kennedy Jr. would obtain a cupboard place in exchange for his endorsement — fell by way of.
Assaults from Trump allies have lately brought on different conservative figures to backtrack from criticizing the previous president.
Kyle Rittenhouse, who turned a darling amongst conservatives after he was acquitted of killing two males throughout civil unrest in Kenosha, Wisconsin, in 2021, final week mentioned Trump “has unhealthy advisers, making him unhealthy on the Second Modification,” BBC reported.
“If you happen to can’t be utterly un-compromisable on the Second Modification, I can’t vote for you,” BBC reported Rittenhouse mentioned on X, the social platform previously Twitter, including: “I help my choice and I’ve no take-backs.”
Inside 12 hours, after a barrage of pointed assaults from Trump supporters, BBC reported Rittenhouse reversed course, writing in a separate publish that he’d had “a sequence of productive conversations with members of the Trump’s workforce and I’m assured he would be the robust ally gun homeowners must defend our Second Modification rights.”
Representatives for Kennedy, Trump, and Rogan didn’t instantly reply to requests for remark from Enterprise Insider.
