Topline

Joe Rogan is set for what could be the biggest episode in his podcast’s history when he interviews Donald Trump on Friday, a possible boon to Trump’s presidential bid just days before the election as Kamala Harris may no longer appear on the show.

Important facts

When will Rogan’s interview with Trump be released?

The Wall Street Journal reports that the release is expected no earlier than October 26th.

Will Harris appear on The Joe Rogan Experience?

Apparently not. Harris was reportedly interested in an interview on Friday, but the WSJ reported, citing sources familiar with the show, that she was unable to attend due to scheduling conflicts in Texas, where she will also attend a rally alongside Beyoncé and a Interview scheduled with academic and motivational speaker Brené Brown.

Important background

Trump’s media strategy relied heavily on podcasts, which grew in popularity. Trump has appeared on more than a dozen podcasts this year, speaking to comedians like Theo Von and controversial streamers like Adin Ross, with the audience mostly made up of young men. Trump’s interview with Von is one of the most viewed in recent months, reaching more than 14 million views on YouTube. This podcast strategy is based on the Trump campaign’s goal of reaching undecided or unlikely voters and particularly targeting young male voters and black voters. The “Bro” podcasting is intended to create a competitive advantage against Kamala Harris’ strength with female voters. Rogan appears to be the most influential podcaster of this group and has a large audience of young men and black listeners.

Crucial quote

The official X account for the “Joe Rogan Experience” posted “Who’s Surprised?” on Thursday. The post includes an American flag emoji, a picture of Harris superimposed next to Rogan saying she won’t appear on his podcast, and a video of UFC fighter Nate Diaz saying, “I’m not surprised Mother******* .”

Cons

Harris has also given a mix of traditional journalistic and conversational podcast-style interviews. She gave an interview on October 6th on another extremely popular sex and lifestyle podcast, “Call Her Daddy,” and appeared on September 30th on the podcast “All the Smoke,” a sports podcast hosted by two former NBA stars 23 Suffolk University/USA Today polls found that only about 27% of voters saw any of the episodes and nearly 50% of respondents said it would make them less likely to vote for them.

What you should pay attention to

Rogan does not consider himself a Republican and had said he would not host Trump on his podcast because it would rehabilitate Trump’s image. Still, Rogan is known for harboring controversial and often incorrect theories. Politicians and fans are probably interested to see what Rogan asks Trump.