Since Election Day, Democrats have agonized over what some in the media have called their “Joe Rogan Problem” - the party’s inability to compete with right-leaning voices in long-form content like podcasts and YouTube shows. The phenomenon is named after Rogan for a few reasons. For one, his brash speaking style and disdain for politically-correct language have endeared him to many MAGA-aligned male voters. He also played an outsized role in the final days of the 2024 election, interviewing Trump for three hours, attempting to book Harris on his podcast, and eventually using his enormous megaphone to endorse the former president.

The entire conversation about this has become so tiresome that I apologize for spending more time on it. However, this week, Rogan is appearing in many Democrats’ feeds for a different reason. A few days ago, a TikTok user named @larryjackmac posted a clip from a Rogan episode in 2018 in which the popular podcast host launched into an extended pro-immigrant spiel. “I don’t give a fuck if they broke the law, you don’t take parents and kids and separate them. You just fucking don’t, it's disgusting. If you’re saying they shouldn’t have broke the law. Maybe they broke the law, but you don’t get to do something that’s a thousand times worse than them crossing an imaginary line in the dirt.”

The clip has since been circulating among large liberal accounts on social media, being reposted by the likes of Joy Reid, @voteinorout, and @dearwhitestaffers. 

Some may say that since that clip was from 7 years ago, it likely no longer reflects the beliefs of a newly MAGA-fied Rogan. But on Rogan’s podcast just last Friday, in a conversation with country singer Oliver Anthony, he again empathized with immigrants who are undocumented. “If you got here, and you’ve integrated, maybe you shouldn't have snuck in. But you did it, and now you’re not breaking any laws, and you’re a hard-working person - those people need a path to citizenship, man.” And again, two months ago, he criticized the Trump administration’s mass deportations to El Salvador as “horrific.”

It’s not just the immigration issue - Rogan has made statements in the past few years that align with the Democratic Party’s core positions on abortion rights, same-sex marriage, marijuana legalization, a strong social safety net, and universal healthcare. In April, he blasted Trump’s trade war with Canada as “stupid” and “the dumbest fucking feud.”

Just three years ago, he laid out his political views pretty explicitly on his show. “I’m a bleeding heart liberal on several issues,” he declared. “People will say like, ‘Oh, you know, you’re a secret conservative.’ Like you can suck my dick. You don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about. I’m so far away from being a Republican.”

In early 2020, five years before liberals began their handwringing over his support for Trump, Rogan offered support for Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign, saying he’d “probably vote for him.” While today, that type of endorsement would be coveted by any Democrat running for office and covered in the press as a major political win, back then, the response was a little different. Sanders was relentlessly attacked for touting Rogan’s support, and the Human Rights Campaign even sent a press release repudiating the endorsement and demanding Sanders reject the podcaster outright.

All of this matters because Democrats in Washington, DC, continue to debate, discuss, strategize, and launch new projects focused on reaching the Rogans of the world — and, more importantly, the millions of men who listen to them. One notable effort is the 20 million dollar “SAM” project (it stands for Speaking with American Men), which just launched with an in-depth report outlining what needs to be done to welcome men back into the Democratic Party. The report is worth a read, and I don’t doubt the intentions of the people behind the project, but it seems a little bit like they’re studying half the American population as if they’re lab rats. 

If Democrats are serious about bridging the gap with men who feel alienated from their coalition, the answer may not be to treat them as a sociological puzzle to be solved. As long as so many strategists in the party approach male voters as a problem to be managed rather than as potential members of a broad coalition, Democrats’ efforts will likely continue to fall short. The challenge isn’t just about finding the right messenger a la Joe Rogan — it’s also about committing to listen and learning how to speak like a normal human being. 

MAGA media goes to war with itself

A major rift is emerging within the MAGA movement and right-wing media as President Donald Trump faces mounting pressure over whether to escalate a potential U.S. war with Iran. At the heart of the split is a clash between MAGA’s “America First” isolationists and traditional Republican hawks who champion unwavering support for Israel. High-profile MAGA voices like Tucker Carlson and Steve Bannon have become leading critics of any U.S. military involvement, warning that intervention would betray Trump’s campaign promises and could split the Trump coalition. 

Carlson, on Bannon’s show, argued, “I don’t want the U.S. entangled in another Middle Eastern conflict that doesn’t serve our interests… I also believe this is going to end Trump’s presidency.” Bannon went as far as to attack FOX News directly for its support for a potential war: “If you work at FOX, you’re not true MAGA,” he posted today.

The grassroots MAGA base is also making its opposition clear. A viral poll on X, taken last week by Turning Point USA’s Charlie Kirk, found a lopsided majority of respondents opposed U.S. intervention. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a staunch Trump ally, agreed, posting, “Anyone slobbering for the U.S. to become fully involved in the Israel/Iran war is not America First/MAGA.”

On the other side, establishment-aligned conservatives, pundits, and FOX News hosts such as Ben Shapiro, Mark Levin and Sean Hannity are urging Trump to stand firmly with Israel, with some calling for regime change in Iran. Levin, in a recent monologue, described Iran as an “evil nation” and insisted that supporting Israel is integral to Trump’s foreign policy legacy.

Trump, who has long criticized DC’s fixation on “forever wars,” now finds himself squeezed in between a major split among his supporters. He’s both signaling support for Israel and condemning Iran’s nuclear ambitions, he seems to be leaving himself a little room for ambiguity. Regardless of whatever decision he makes, he’s going to take major incoming from more than a few allies. 

More things you should read: 

• Michael Scherer and Ashley Parker at The Atlantic have a must-read piece on Democrats’ messaging strategies in 2024, focused on the role played by pro-Harris Super PAC Future Forward. The piece features numerous criticisms of the $1 billion group, as it is already angling to become the Democratic Party's “blessed” Super PAC in 2028. Earlier this year, I wrote about how Democrats blindly consolidated the vast majority of their outside resources into Future Forward in an unprecedented way. 

• The New York Times has an interesting look at how podcasts have become critical places for authors to promote their books, especially for those on the Right.

• A large part of Trump’s tough-on-immigration strategy is smoke and mirrors, using strategic PR tactics and splashy campaigns to scare away would-be immigrants and bolster his domestic political reputation.

• WIRED published an excellent, “definitive look” at the Tesla Takedown protests + campaign from earlier this spring.

• Pew Research looked at 30 major (and kind of random) news sources and created an interactive tracker detailing Americans’ perceptions and consumption of each.

• The DNC just can’t catch a break. 

One last thing: Josh Shapiro at the U.S. Open

As Democrats continue to spend millions of dollars on those research studies (see above) to determine how they can reach American men, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro is hitting the links. The U.S. Open, one of professional golf’s biggest events, was held at Oakmont Country Club near Pittsburgh over the weekend, and the potential 2028 presidential hopeful was on the ground engaging with popular sports creators, podcasters, and the press. Shapiro did a brief interview with guys from the Fried Egg Golf podcast network, and created content with influencer Frank Michael Smith and Steelers quarterback Will Howard.  

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