Podcaster Joe Rogan Consistently Declines to Interview Donald Trump: "I Don't Want to Help Him"

Spotify's most-streamed podcast host, Joe Rogan, has turned down several opportunities to host former President Donald J. Trump. The Joe Rogan Experience earned the No. 1 slot on Spotify in 2022 for being the most popular show globally and in the United States. Reportedly, he received many requests to host Trump, but he "declined" them all.

During an episode of Lex Fridman's podcast, Rogan revealed he's turned down multiple offers to host the Republican candidate on his popular show. His reason was that he's "not a Trump supporter" and wouldn't want to give him a platform despite the large number of podcasters—11 million precisely—supporting Trump, according to the New York Post.

The stand-up comedian said, "The Trump era will also be one of the weirder times. When people look back historically at another division in this country, he's such a polarising figure that so many people felt like they could abandon their ethics, morals, and principles just to attack him and anybody who supports him because he is an existential threat to democracy itself."

Clarifying further, Rogan added, "I am not a Trump supporter in any way, shape or form. I've had the opportunity to have him on my show more than once — I've said no every time. I don't want to help him. I'm not interested in helping him." However, despite the podcaster's staunch disregard for "Trump's politics," the two shook hands during a UFC fight in Las Vegas in July 2023.

So, Trump urged his advisers to find ways to arrange a sit-down with the famed podcaster, as reported by The Daily Beast. The former president's aspiration to feature in the podcast is so high that he's advised his allies to 'hype up the potential invite.' One of his informal advisers, Roger Stone, challenged Rogan to a UFC-style cage match.

"The mere discussion of Donald Trump on a blockbuster podcast like Joe Rogan builds a remarkable audience," Trump's advisers told the outlet. "Perhaps the only person bigger in the new media world than Joe Rogan is Donald Trump and the whole idea that the two of them would be together at long last—it would be an incredible audience." However, this couldn't waver the podcaster. 

Trump, once again, expressed his desire for a sit-down with Rogan during his appearance with the Nelk Boys on their podcast Full Send. The parent company, Alphabet, removed the video over the Republican's controversial claims regarding the 2020 elections, despite generating millions of views on YouTube. 

Fridman counter-questioned Rogan over his dismissal to welcome Trump on his show, citing that in the past, the podcaster accepted guests whose political views contradicted his. The host noted Kanye West as an example. He defended, "Yeah, but Kanye's an artist," adding, "Kanye doing well or not doing well doesn't change the course of our country." 

Nonetheless, the former president is not offended by Rogan's disinterest. One Trump adviser said, "I don't think the president takes Rogan's criticism personally, and in the end, Donald Trump would listen to a non-politician with mild criticism more than a politician that kisses his a**."