The Democratic Party needs a new approach to reach voters beyond traditional liberal media outlets, according to former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. In a recent conversation with John Stewart on “The Weekly Show,” Buttigieg acknowledged the party’s pursuit of a “liberal Joe Rogan” is misguided and ultimately unproductive.
“My party’s all up in arms about who’s our Joe Rogan,” he stated, “We’re not going to have a Joe Rogan of the left. That’s not how it works.”
Stewart concurred with this assessment, emphasizing that replicating the success of established platforms isn’t as simple as creating one from scratch. He explained that credibility and authenticity are earned over time—qualities that cannot be manufactured.
“It’s also not something you can conjure in the way that – they just think, ‘Oh, let’s inorganically build this thing.’ Those positions have been built over time, and they’ve earned their credibility, and they’ve earned their authenticity, and they’ve earned all those things that they have. You can’t just poof them into existence,”
Buttigieg further pointed out a significant deficiency within the Democratic strategy: its limited presence in various media landscapes. He highlighted the immense influence of “The Joe Rogan Experience,” which boasts a substantial audience, particularly among young men—a demographic crucial to Donald Trump’s 2024 victory. Trump himself secured millions of views through an interview with Rogan, and the podcast host’s subsequent endorsement proved beneficial to his campaign.
Key points about the impact of “The Joe Rogan Experience”:
- It is one of the world’s most influential podcasts.
- It has a massive audience, particularly among young men.
- Trump secured millions of views through an interview with Rogan.
Prior to the election, Democrats attempted to secure an appearance by Kamala Harris on Rogan’s show, although those plans ultimately didn’t materialize. While she appeared on other podcasts like “Call Her Daddy,” it underscored the party’s understanding of Rogan’s platform’s potential reach.
Buttigieg argued that Democrats need to shift their focus from trying to replicate the success of Rogan and instead concentrate on proactively engaging with voters where they actually are, even in spaces considered more conservative.
“I think we are really struggling to find people where they are,”
He added:
“I could be the tenth person to say roughly the same thing on a liberal show, or I could literally be the first time somebody heard a certain idea if I’m in a more conservative space,”
Stewart playfully agreed. “People who have other s— to do!” Buttigieg responded with a nod of agreement.
