In recent months, one word has been everywhere on X: “Rogan.” When President Trump was a guest on Joe Rogan’s podcast, it blew up on social media.
If you search “Rogan” on X, you’ll find a flood of opinions about Trump’s appearance on the show. At the time of writing, nearly 900,000 posts mention the podcast.
This is just one example of how today’s politics look, showing what voters are thinking just before the election—and even how they feel about Joe Rogan himself.
This appearance was a big deal. The episode has hit 27 million views on YouTube and is still going strong. In this election, mainstream media has stepped back, making room for what I call “authentic media”—things like blogs, social media, and independent websites and podcasts. These sources aren’t just “alternatives” anymore; together, they could be more influential than major news outlets.
Reading the posts about Trump reminded me of how raw and direct social media can be compared to the polished reports we usually see on cable news. This was an unedited, three-hour interview that, whether you agree or not, gives a direct look into Trump’s thinking. There was no editing—the interview is exactly as it happened.
