Exclusive: Kamala Harris Might Do an Interview with Podcaster Joe Rogan

By Jeff Mason and Nandita Bose

(Reuters) – Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris may sit down for an interview with popular podcaster Joe Rogan in the final stretch of the U.S. presidential campaign, three sources familiar with the matter said on Monday.

Harris campaign officials met with Rogan's team this week, but an appearance has not yet been confirmed, two of the sources said.

Rogan, who runs the most popular podcast in the United States, has a highly coveted and loyal following that is young, male and in the tens of millions.

The interview is an opportunity for Harris to make her case to her supporters as she works to shore up support among male voters, particularly black men. Numerous public polls suggest that Republican candidate Donald Trump may outperform among young men of all races.

On Monday, the vice president released a series of new policy proposals to appeal to black male voters, and her campaign is increasing its reach to the typically Democratic constituency.

Her campaign also announced that she will participate in an interview with Fox News, whose daily programming is heavily influenced by conservative topics that often explicitly support Trump.

On Monday, Trump also announced that he plans to appear on Joe Rogan's podcast before Election Day on November 5th.

Trump and Rogan have feuded in the past. Back in August, Trump attacked Rogan on the social media platform Truth Social, but later called him a “good guy.”

In 2022, Rogan said he was not a Trump supporter and in August he said he preferred Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as president. Kennedy has since dropped out of the presidential campaign and supported Trump.

The appearance could give Harris and Trump a boost as polls show an incredibly close race between the two candidates, which is expected to come down to results in seven swing states.

In March, Spotify said “The Joe Rogan Experience” had 14.5 million followers, nearly three times as many as the platform's second most popular program. He also has over 19 million followers on Instagram and 17 million followers on YouTube.

A YouGov poll last year found that 81% of his listeners are male and 56% are under 35, reinforcing the impression that he has a direct line to a cohort that polls show is more likely to support Trump than Harris.

Rogan signed a new deal with Spotify earlier this year, estimated to be worth up to $250 million.

(Reporting by Jeff Mason in Erie, Pennsylvania and Nandita Bose in Washington; Editing by Stephen Coates)