Joe Rogan, one of the most popular podcasters in the world, is gaining vast support to host a US presidential debate, with a petition gathering the signatures of more than 250,000 subscribers.
The petition was started by Ashton Stowell on change.org a whole year ago, according to the website, but has gained a lot of traction in recent weeks, reaching almost 300,000 signatories.
Trying to explain to the US Commission on Presidential Debates why Rogan “would be great” moderating a discussion between Donald Trump and Joe Biden, the author claims Rogan “revolutionized the way political interview and discussion work,” by popularizing a format of a long-form, open conversation.
Stowell cites Rogan’s journalistic experience, having hosted politicians and other popular figures “from various walks of life.”
The petitioner also says that voters have become “disenfranchised” by “mainstream” pundits who, unlike Rogan, “are viewed as having ulterior motives or ties to a certain party.”
Stowell’s petition received a lot of attention after Rogan himself said on another podcast that he “would want” to moderate a presidential debate.
Joe Rogan Talks About Having Trump & Biden On The Podcast—#JRE#JoeRogan#Debate#Trump#Biden#Election2020pic.twitter.com/QfLQkuMwdh
The idea gained infinitely more traction after the US president himself tweeted last Monday that he would agree to participate.
I do! https://t.co/H9Eghnqpuy
Biden’s campaign has been silent on the issue, but its approval would probably be the last necessary step to make the event a reality.
Rogan has long been a controversial figure, especially in liberal circles. He has been accused of racism, homophobia and transphobia for various statements and jokes he’s made over the years. The scrutiny seems to have only intensified after he moved his show to the Spotify platform as part of an exclusive deal reportedly worth over $100 million.
Think your friends would be interested? Share this story!
