EXCLUSIVE: BEHIND THE SCENES! How Elon Musk and Robert Kennedy Jr. Quietly Orchestrated Trump's Joe Rogan Appearance Before the Election — 'You Can't Pass This Up!'
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Elon Musk worked together to get Donald Trump on Joe Rogan's podcast last year.
March 21 2025, Published 1:00 p.m. ET
Donald Trump can thank two of his key allies for landing him one of the most talked about podcast appearances of 2024.
After Kamala Harris made waves on Call Her Daddy, right-hand men Elon Musk and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. knew they had to strike back – and locked in Trump for The Joe Rogan Experience, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Trump appeared on 'The Joe Rogan Experience' just days before winning the 2024 election.
Alex Isenstadt's new book, Revenge: The Inside Story of Trump's Return to Power, offers an exclusive look at Trump's pivotal Rogan podcast appearance just days before the election.
Trump, 87, took the podcast world by storm last year, racking up millions of views while talking addiction, wrestling, and his signature speech style.
Even the viral "Hawk Tuah Girl" wanted him – but he was too booked to bite.
Author Alex Isenstadt's new book explains how Musk convinced Trump how important it was for him to appear on the hit show.
But there was one host Trump hadn’t sat down with: Joe Rogan, the "undisputed podcast king."
Rogan’s show, known for its three-hour interviews, often topped the charts.
Both Musk and Kennedy had appeared on The Joe Rogan Experience and already built connections with the podcaster – who positioned himself as an outsider, separate from mainstream media.
On why Rogan never had Trump on his show, Isenstadt explained: "Partly, Rogan was hesitant to look like he was taking sides.
"He had praised Kennedy when he was in the race – like Kennedy, he had questions about the safety of vaccines and promoted alternative medicinal therapies. That had infuriated Trump."
On the other hand, Trump "wanted" to do the show but believed Rogan should have been the one to ask him on, the author revealed.
Musk and Kennedy knew the appearance would benefit the president-elect and quickly "worked both sides" to make it happen that fall.
The move notably came right after Democratic candidate Harris, 60, had already made waves on Alex Cooper's hit show – leading to a sort of rivalry in the world of new-age campaigning.
In the beginning of October, Rogan interviewed Calley Means, a health advocate and adviser to Kennedy.
After the show, Means told Rogan he would love to see Trump on the program and provided contact details for Trump's team.
With the election just a month away, Rogan was hearing from pro-Trump listeners urging him to make it happen.
RFK Jr. had already appeared on Rogan's podcast and built a connection with the host.
Musk pitched the idea to the MAGA leader, telling him: "It's the number one podcast. You can't pass this up."
Isenstadt then revealed Rogan "extended a request for an interview in early October, and the two sides agreed on a date: October 25."
On October 25, Trump’s motorcade arrived at Rogan's studio in Austin, Texas, where he had prepped for the interview – focusing on health-related issues.
The studio, which looked like an industrial facility from the outside, featured unusual décor like mounted deer heads and an embalmed crocodile, the author explained.
The nearly three-hour interview touched on topics like UFC, windmills, and life on Mars, with Rogan discussing Trump’s election stance and his views on pharmaceutical reform.
Despite some doubts from Kennedy's camp, Trump didn’t give a direct answer about his support.
The interview quickly gained 38 million views, reaching a multitude of young men just before the election – making it a strategic win for Trump.
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The podcast appearance gained millions of views and helped Trump reach an entirely new audience.
Isenstadt noted: "For Trump, the timing couldn't have been better.
"The election was rapidly approaching, and here he was reaching millions of young men with Rogan, a key demographic for the campaign."
The author's new book is full of backstage content leading up to Trump's 2024 presidential win.
Elsewhere, Isenstadt reveals shocking details on the president's infamous July rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, where he was shot in the ear during an assassination attempt.
The journalist also gives insight into Trump's relationship with media mogul Rupert Murdoch, revealing how he called him a "piece of s---," and his son, James, a "crazy liberal."
