With the possibility of Vice President and Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris appearing on Joe Rogan‘s show, we asked generative AI-powered ChatGPT who the podcaster might end up voting for, Harris or former president Donald Trump.
Numbers released by Spotify earlier this year show that The Joe Rogan Experience is the most popular podcast on the platform by far in terms of follower count; the show has 14.5 million subscribers, with the next most popular, TED Talks Daily, coming in at 5 million.
Rogan’s audience skews young and male, according to market research company YouGov, giving Harris an opportunity to appeal to this demographic of voters if she sits down with Rogan for an interview.
Rogan himself has previously expressed interest in voting for independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., saying on his podcast back in August that RFK is “the only one that makes sense to me.” He backtracked slightly the following day, saying, “For the record, this isn’t an endorsement.”
Newsweek asked ChatGPT who Rogan might be most likely to vote for. Here’s what it had to say.
Initially, the bot was hesitant to predict: “Joe Rogan’s potential vote in the upcoming 2024 U.S. presidential election is difficult to predict with certainty.”
“Historically, Rogan has expressed support for a wide range of political figures, such as Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump. However, in recent months, Rogan has praised Kamala Harris for her debate performances against Trump, saying she was ‘nailing it’ and criticizing Trump’s preparedness.
“Rogan has also criticized Trump’s antics, which may indicate a shift in his attitude toward the former president. Given Rogan’s unpredictable nature and independent views, it’s unclear who he might ultimately support.”
Joe Rogan (center) on April 9, 2022, in Jacksonville, Florida. (Inset left) Kamala Harris and (inset right) Donald Trump. Rogan has expressed opinions on both presidential candidates, so Newsweek asked ChatGPT who he is most likely to vote for.
James Gilbert/Rebecca Noble/Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
However, ChatGPT also noted that Rogan “has praised Kamala Harris’s performance in recent debates, particularly commending her debate skills against Donald Trump. Rogan noted that Harris was well-prepared and effectively executed her strategy, while criticizing Trump’s debate performance for lacking focus.”
But, when asked if Rogan was forced to choose, ChatGPT said “it is more likely that he would vote for Donald Trump.”
“Rogan has frequently expressed strong concerns about Kamala Harris, particularly regarding her stance on free speech and censorship. He has criticized the vice president for her approach to regulating misinformation and hate speech on social media, which he views as a threat to the First Amendment.
“In contrast, Rogan has had less criticism of Trump on these issues, and while he hasn’t openly endorsed Trump, he has shown more alignment with Trump’s views on free speech and his resistance to censorship on platforms like X [formerly Twitter)].”
But, ChatGPT was hedging its bets: “Ultimately, Rogan’s vote might depend on how the candidates evolve closer to Election Day, but his critiques of Trump’s unpredictability and praise for Harris’s debate performance could indicate openness to shifting support.”
Conclusion: ChatGPT is leaning toward Trump, but not ruling out Harris as Rogan’s choice.
Newsweek has contacted Harris, Trump and Rogan via email for comment.
