Joe Rogan’s endorsement of independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has been welcomed by supporters of Vice President Kamala Harris‘ presidential campaign.
“I am a fan. He’s the only one to make sense to me. He’s the only one that doesn’t attack people. He attacks actions and ideas, but he’s much more reasonable and intelligent,” Rogan said about RFK Jr. during a recent episode of his podcast.
Rogan, who hosts The Joe Rogan Experience, commands an audience of 14.5 million followers on Spotify. His podcast has held the top spot on the streaming platform for four consecutive years.
Many Harris supporters highlighted Rogan’s massive platform and said his endorsement of Kennedy, rather than Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, would benefit Harris. Some celebrated the endorsement in posts on X, formerly Twitter.
Three months ahead of the November 5 election, state and national polls show that when third-party candidates are considered, Kennedy draws more votes from the former president than from Harris.
The New York Times‘ aggregate national poll shows Harris leading Trump by 1 percentage point, 48 percent to 47 percent. However, when Kennedy is included, Harris’ advantage grows to 2 percentage points. She receives 45 percent of the vote to Trump’s 43 percent.
Most recent national surveys show Kennedy polling in the single digits, averaging about 5 percent of the vote.
Despite his family’s close ties to the Democratic Party, polls have previously shown that far more Republicans than Democrats have a favorable opinion of Kennedy, the Associated Press reported. However, since Harris entered the race, Kennedy’s share of the vote has declined.
Newsweek has contacted Trump’s, Harris’ and Kennedy’s campaigns for comment via email.
Ed Krassenstein, who gained popularity during Trump’s presidency by frequently responding to his social media posts, shared a video of Rogan praising Kennedy as the only candidate who does not “gaslight,” “manipulate” or “attack” people. Krassenstein wrote in the X post, “This can’t be good for Trump.” He added, “Maybe Trump supporters should listen to him [Rogan]. It’s not too late for Trump supporters to vote for RFK Jr. If every Trump supporter switches to RFK Jr. he’d have a better chance of winning.”
X user Dem Saints wrote on Thursday that Rogan’s “target audience (white, right leaning males) is exactly where I want RFK Jr building up more support,” before signing the post, “Sincerely, Someone who wants Kamala to win.”
On Friday, Tim Pool, a political commentator and podcast host, wrote on X, “Ok I’m voting for RFK Jr now.” Dem Saints reposted the message, adding: “Thank you, Tim Pool. I am now your biggest fan. I want every talk show host with an army of right wing dude bros voting for RFK Jr. These are exactly the votes Kamala needs to shave off to win.”
User Swann Marcus wrote: “Biden only lost Texas by 5.5%. RFK just got ballot access in Texas. Famous Austin-based conspiracy podcaster Joe Rogan endorsed RFK the same day. Kamala truly has the Mandate of Heaven.”
Steve Redmond, another X user who frequently posts in support of Harris and against Trump’s campaign, wrote: “Thank you Joe Rogan. Talk up RFK Jr. as much as you can. A vote for RFK Jr. is a vote Trump won’t get. Any democrats RFK Jr. had abandoned him the day Biden dropped out.”
Meanwhile, fans of Rogan who support a second Trump presidency have expressed their disappointment with the podcaster’s choice.
