Democrats Need a Joe Rogan

In case you were in a coma on Tuesday, Donald Trump once again won an election to become the next President of the United States. It's starting to feel like Groundhog Day.

But this time, Trump didn’t enter the race as an entrepreneur, reality TV star, and outsider to politics. He entered as a twice-impeached, felony-convicted, and bankrupt politician.

While no single issue led to Harris and the Democrats’ loss, and no one solution could have won the election, there is one key factor that stands out.

It’s the messaging, stupid.

According to exit polls, roughly 55% of voters nationwide thought Trump’s views were “too extreme,” and 68% of voters in Georgia felt that democracy in the United States was somewhat or very threatened.

Harris ran a nearly flawless campaign, albeit over just 109 days. She had an incredible convention, dominated the debate, and campaigned on the issues that matter most to voters (66% of voters said abortion should be legal in all or most cases, which was a key focus of Harris's campaign).

Exit polls, while not always perfectly reliable, offer an initial glimpse into voting patterns. The final data, which will become available in the coming months, could shift the narrative. However, the exit polls suggest that the winner of this election was the more unpopular candidate, who also had a worse position on key issues compared to his opponent. This points to one glaring issue: Democrats have been unsuccessful at effectively communicating their successes and policy proposals to new and persuadable voters.

The best way to reach these voters is to, stop me if you’ve heard this before, meet them where they are. This doesn’t just mean understanding the issues that matter to them, it means physically meeting them where they are. In 2024, and likely 2028 as well, that no longer means just knocking on doors or sending out direct mail for a presidential candidate. While all of these tools that have been around forever are still vital to a campaign—especially for down-ballot candidates—there is a crucial element that Democrats must add if they want to succeed in the future.

Trump’s strategy to reach young and persuadable voters was marked by appearances on shows like The Joe Rogan Experience, The Nelk Boys, This Past Weekend with Theo Von, Bussin’ with the Boys, Impaulsive with Logan Paul, and more.

You may not have heard of any of these podcasts or their hosts, but that doesn’t make them any less important. Millions of young voters tune into these shows every time they’re posted. In fact, Trump’s “Bro” podcast tour, as Forbes called it, amassed over 60 million views on platforms like YouTube, Twitch, and Rumble. Not to mention, four of the top five podcasts on Spotify are conservative talk shows.

This is not an endorsement of any of these shows, but the reality is that the way people consume media is rapidly changing. Sure, appearing on a few podcasts wouldn’t have won Harris the election, but if Democrats want to reach persuadable voters and demonstrate their commitment to fixing the system to work for everyone, they must start by building a broad media apparatus that reaches young, diverse, persuadable voters.

South Carolina is now positioned as the first primary state for the Democratic Party. The eyes of voters and presidential hopefuls are on us, and it is crucial for Democrats to embrace a new, innovative media strategy here in the Palmetto State. The Arena feels like a great start.