There are three different types of Joe Rogan followers.  ,
The second category is the” MMA Bros” — the boys with shaved eyes, cauliflower lips, big forearm, and tribal tattoo. They’re supporters of Rogan’s UFC criticism and are inspired by his approach to fitness, heath, and manhood. Politics is n’t necessarily top-of-mind, but after the COVID-era restrictions and overt liberal hostility, they’re now more comfortable in the Republican camp. When they hear the conventional media attack” dangerous masculinity”, the MMA Bros totally understand that they’re attacking ALL manhood — and they take it personally.
Advertisement
MMA Bros are n’t ideologically conservative. Most are definitely pro-abortion, pro-marijuana, pro-gay relationship, and pro-social safety nets. They occasionally engage in bizarre crime ideas. But they’re deeply, strongly attracted to the traditional attitude of steep independence, hard work, belief, and self-determination. The best thing ever happened for this class: Trump staring down an assassin’s bullet, with blood droplets running down his face, and then rising to his legs with his fist raised! That specific instance embodied everything that men believed to be true about masculinity.
The” Platform Fans” make up the second category. They’re not connected to Rogan on an emotional, intellectual, or attitudinal level, but still (occasionally ) enjoy his podcasts, MMA commentary, and/or standup comedy. For the most part, they value Rogan’s insights and enjoy him conversationally, but that’s about it. Through his UFC work and podcasts, he’s exposed them to many fascinating guests and topics, and they appreciate that. But at the end of the day,” The Joe Rogan Experience” ( JRE ) is just a platform. Sure, it’s an important platform because it gets millions of views, but it’s just a place to watch long-form interviews.
The third and final category are actual” Red-Blooded Conservatives”. Ever since FOX News dropped Roger Ailes, The Drudge Report turned into MSNBC Part 2, and Rush Limbaugh turned off his golden EIB microphone for good, there has n’t been a “mothership” for modern conservatism. Our universe is hopelessly splintered: FNC retained a portion, Tucker Carlson took some, outlets like The Daily Wire, The Blaze, PJ Media, etc. have cultivated others. Elon Musk has relocated a piece to Twitter/X. And because of his size, Rogan owns millions of ‘ em, too.
Advertisement
It was n’t like this prior to 2016. For decades, you could always speak to — and directly mobilize — the entire conservative base via Bill O’Reilly, Rush Limbaugh, or a breaking story on Drudge. But that was then, there’s no go-to platform anymore. Joe Rogan’s podcast is about as close as we get.
So, what could we expect from Donald Trump’s tete-a-tete with Joe Rogan, now that Trump has confirmed he’ll be making an appearance?
Trump confirms that he is dating Joe Rogan and the Nelk Boys! pic. twitter.com/cyMJSRnEFc— Nelk Boys ( @nelkboys ) October 13, 2024
For starters, we know it’ll be a fun, entertaining conversation. Rogan is a ridiculously skillful conversationalist, and Trump certainly knows how to keep an audience riveted. It’s never been Rogan’s style to be confrontational or rude, so I’m sure the tone wo n’t just be respectful — it’ll border on reverence.  ,
( And … the over/under for questions about Roswell, Area 51, and space aliens is six. )
Trump will come across as manly, confident, introspective, and reasonable. Amongst Rogan’s greatest strengths is his ability to “normalize” highly unusual ( and oft-abnormal ) guests. Rogan’s likeability shines so brightly, it bleaches and sterilizes his guests ‘ impurities, so you walk away liking both: They’re the friends you wish you had.
During the podcast, Trump will speak to millions of conservatives— and afterward, he’ll speak to millions more, when the leading “digital conservatives” like YouTube stalwarts like Ben Shapiro and company slice up the footage and amplify the message. You’ll soon see portions of the interview all over social media ( Twitter/X more so than Facebook, methinks ). Trump’s appearance on JRE will provide endless entertainment for the masses in a world where content is the king. Perhaps a full week.
Advertisement
And in an era of the 24-hour news cycle, that’s about as much legs as a story’s gonna get.
Conservatives were always going to support Trump, but it’s still crucial to keep them engaged. The MMA Bros., however, is the true benefit of Trump appearing with Rogan in the first category of JRE fans.
There’s a lot of ‘ em, but they are n’t politically minded. If they have a choice between standing in line to vote on Election Day or squeezing in a wicked-cool upper-body workout, they’ll choose the latter. However, mobilizing millions of semi-engaged males can make a difference in a razor-close election if they feel positive enough about Trump or negative enough about Kamala Harris.
Joe Rogan is n’t a lone wolf. He has created and nurtured a whole community of podcasters, many of whom have already hosted Trump. Guys like Shane Gillis, Brendan Schaub, Theo Von, Lex Fridman and others are all Joe Rogan Acolytes, and if Trump’s acceptable to Joe, then Trump’s acceptable to them. Planet Rogan and thousands of smaller satellites are a part of the podcasting” Bro-sphere,” which features Planet Rogan and thousands of other satellites in his gargantuan orbit. After the Trump interview, each of these satellites will serve as his echo chamber, amplifying the outreach.
All marketing campaigns lead to an” action step” — the moment when you’re asking your target audience to do something. Maybe it’s clicking on a link or calling a number, in the old days, it might’ve been getting’ em to walk into your store. But for elections, the action step is GOTV: Get Out The Vote.
Advertisement
Americans must care enough to cast a ballot physically if they want to support us.
The closer to the election this interview drops, the better. One of the few platforms that truly has a place in America is still open, though, that can change.