During the July 31, 2024 episode of “The Joe Rogan Experience,” the often-polarizing podcaster Joe Rogan predicted Vice President Kamala Harris could potentially defeat former President Donald Trump in the upcoming presidential election. Rogan’s prediction has sparked considerable debate.
In this episode, Rogan was joined by cultural commentator Michael Malice for a frank conversation about the presidential election and Harris’ chances of winning. “She’s gonna win,” Rogan stated, to which Malice responded with visible surprise, “No, she’s not.” Rogan further clarified his prediction, saying, “I’m not saying because I think she’s going to, and I’m not saying because I want her to. I’m just being honest.”
Rogan’s forecast is based not on Harris’ popularity but on Trump’s divisiveness. “I feel like we are in this very bizarre time where people are giving in to the bulls–t in a way that I never suspected people would before,” Rogan stated. According to him, the general sentiment among voters is “no Trump, no matter what,” even if it means voting for Harris.
Rogan added an additional angle to his prediction, suggesting that even personalities like Hillary Clinton or Michelle Obama could triumph over Trump if they chose to run. This idea reinforces Rogan’s theory that the election could hinge more on anti-Trump sentiment than the attractiveness of any single candidate.
A key part of Rogan and Malice’s discussion centered around the media’s role in molding public opinion. Rogan voiced his concerns about what he termed as the “memory-holing” of crucial events, notably Trump’s attempted assassination on July 13. “You would have thought Trump getting shot would have had four years of corporate journalists talking about hate speech causing violence,” Malice noted. “To be like, ‘Let’s take a step back,’ and that went for, what, a week?”
Rogan and Malice argued that the limited media coverage of such significant events signifies a larger problem of media bias. They pointed out how tech giants like Google shape public conversation, with Malice arguing, “If I Google Donald Trump and Google gives you seven negative stories, it’s going to move the needle a little bit toward her [Harris].”
The unequal media coverage between Trump and Harris was another major topic in their conversation. Rogan stated, “[Harris] is the least popular vice president of all time, and then in a moment, a moment in time, all of a sudden she’s our solution. She’s our hero. Try Googling a negative story on her, you won’t find one.”
This viewpoint aligns with Malice’s belief that the media’s depiction of Harris is overly positive compared to the frequent negative coverage of Trump.
The discussion between Rogan and Malice resulting from Rogan’s prediction has sparked a great deal of interest and debate. Some see Rogan’s comments as an expression of legitimate worries about media bias and tech influence, while others interpret it as part of the continuous discourse around Trump’s contentious political career.
As the 2024 election draws closer, the dynamics of the race continue to change, with Rogan’s prediction adding an intriguing element. Whether Harris can indeed beat Trump remains to be seen, but the dialogue underscores the complexities of contemporary political campaigns and the myriad factors that can influence their results.