“Demanding the VP Come to You in Final Campaign Week Sort of Says It All”: Rogan’s Interview Request for Harris Sparks Controversy
(Gregory Payan, Associated Press file)
As Vice President Kamala Harris prepares to make her closing argument in the lead-up to Election Day, her campaign is at the center of a media storm following negotiations for an interview with popular podcaster Joe Rogan. Harris’s Tuesday evening speech at the Ellipse, the same park where Donald Trump held his January 6 “Save America” rally, is expected to deliver her campaign’s “Closing Argument.”
In the hours leading up to the speech, Harris will participate in several interviews targeting key battleground areas, including Detroit, Milwaukee, Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh, as well as Spanish-language radio in Pennsylvania to reach Latino voters.
According to campaign spokesperson Ian Sams, Harris’s scheduled interviews are part of a final push to reach diverse voter demographics, but notably missing from her lineup is Rogan. While both sides have been in discussions, Rogan recently clarified that the interview logistics posed challenges: Harris’s team requested a one-hour session on Tuesday, but Rogan hoped to conduct a longer interview in his Austin studio.
“I strongly feel the best way to do it is in the studio in Austin,” Rogan stated on social media, expressing his desire for a meaningful, unfiltered conversation with the Vice President. Political experts have highlighted the potential benefits of a Harris interview with Rogan, whose podcast reaches millions of listeners, primarily male.
Former Harris campaign senior advisor commented, “Hot take—Rogan needs the Harris interview more than @KamalaHQ does. The exposure to a new audience who is deeply skeptical of him after years of out-of-context clips would be huge. He could pull in a lot of new people who have never listened to a full episode before, and even if he retained a fraction of that audience it would move him more into the mainstream.”
However, Rogan’s insistence on conducting the interview in Austin has drawn criticism from various media figures and political commentators, who argue that the podcaster’s reluctance to travel reflects a lack of respect for the Vice President’s office. “Is this a podcast host saying he’s unwilling to travel to interview the sitting vice president for an hour?” questioned Zeteo News media columnist Justin Baragona.
Award-winning investigative journalist Lisa Guerrero speculated on Rogan’s preparedness, remarking, “I think Joe Rogan is afraid to interview Kamala Harris because that would require a great deal of research and preparation that he is not equipped to do.” The debate has sparked a flurry of responses on social media, with some urging Rogan to make an exception. Former U.S. Ambassador to Russia, Michael McFaul, tweeted, “Come on @joerogan. It’s the last week of the campaign!
She’s a little busier than you. Get on a (private) plane and do the interview, even if just for an hour. Americans want to hear it.” Darren Hutchinson, a professor of law, echoed similar sentiments, emphasizing the unique opportunity: “If I could have interviewed a person who is potentially the future president, I would have canceled everything in my calendar. Unless you were burying a close friend or relative, you weren’t committed to the interview.”
The Lincoln Project’s Stuart Stevens, a veteran Republican strategist, was more direct, suggesting Rogan’s insistence on location reveals “a feeling of self-importance and omnipotence.” Alexander Vindman, former Director for European Affairs at the National Security Council, added his voice, saying, “So the sitting Vice President and likely the next President of the United States should fly over to see you?
Respect for the office of VP as well as the fact that she has a competitive race to run suggests you get your ass on a plane and talk to her wherever [she] is.” Meanwhile, Judd Legum, founder of Popular Information, summarized the sentiment of many critics, calling Rogan’s stance “just off-the-charts arrogance.”
As Election Day approaches, Harris’s campaign strategy will continue to unfold in battleground states, with or without an appearance on Rogan’s podcast, adding a layer of media intrigue to her final campaign stretch.
