Stop apologising to these lunatics, Trump tells Joe Rogan

Former US president tells Joe Rogan not to let ‘maniacs’ make him ‘look weak and frightened’ amid Spotify podcast furore.

Donald Trump has urged Joe Rogan to “stop apologising” about his Spotify podcast, as the commentator considers a $US100 million offer to move to a rival conservative platform linked to the former president.

Rogan, 54, is facing a public backlash for spreading misinformation about Covid-19, prompting a series of artists to pull their music from Spotify. He spent last weekend apologising for racist slurs in past episodes. He said he was “regretful and shameful” after a six-minute compilation video showing him repeatedly using the n-word and comparing a black neighbourhood to Planet of the Apes was shared on social media.

Spotify has pulled more than 100 episodes of The Joe Rogan Experience but has no plans to cancel the podcast, which draws 11 million listeners per episode.

‘Don’t let them make you look weak’

The race row prompted Trump to leap to Rogan’s defence, as the podcaster became the focus of the latest clash in America’s culture wars.

“Joe Rogan is an interesting and popular guy, but he’s got to stop apologising to the Fake News and Radical Left maniacs and lunatics,” Trump, 75, said.

“How many ways can you say you’re sorry? Joe, just go about what you do so well and don’t let them make you look weak and frightened. That’s not you and it never will be!”

The comments encouraged other conservatives to rally behind Rogan on social media, claiming he was a victim of left-wing “cancel culture”. The streaming site Rumble said that it had offered Rogan $US100 million over four years to bring his show to its platform.

Rumble offer

Rumble has a deal with Trump and securing Rogan would bring the two most popular voices in conservative media to the site as it tries to take on YouTube. Chris Pavlovski, the Rumble chief executive, told Rogan he would face “no censorship” at the platform.

“Dear Joe, we stand with you, your guests and your legion of fans in desire for real conversation,” Pavlovski wrote. “How about you bring all your shows to Rumble, both old and new.”

Streaming site Rumble offered Rogan $US 100 million to come to its platform. Picture: Supplied

Rogan, a comedian, has yet to comment on the offer. Despite the conservative effort to present him as a victim, Rogan conceded at the weekend that “whenever you’re in a situation where you have to say ‘I’m not a racist,’ you f***ed up, and I clearly have f***ed up.”

His exclusive deal with Spotify, struck in 2020, was itself worth more than $US100 million, according to reports. Rogan’s comments on vaccines and race have caused other artists to walk out and some members of the public to cancel their subscriptions.

Daniel Ek, the chief executive of the Swedish streaming platform, has promised a dollars 100 million investment in licensing and promoting music and audio content from “historically marginalised groups” but is reluctant to jettison Rogan. Ek, 38, told staff in a memo on Sunday that Rogan’s comments were “incredibly hurtful” but said he did not believe the answer lay in “silencing” the podcaster. Neil Young, who last month became the first musician to pull his work from Spotify over Rogan’s comments on Covid-19, renewed his attack on the firm yesterday (Tuesday). Young, 76, urged Spotify staff to resign and “get out of that place before it eats up your soul”.

Underscoring Trump’s power over conservative US media, Peter Thiel, the billionaire investor, plans to leave the board of Meta, the parent company of Facebook, to throw his weight behind the Republican campaign before the midterm elections in November. The Wall Street Journal reported that Thiel, 54, who in 2004 became the first outside investor in Facebook, would promote Republican candidates who supported Trump’s agenda. Allies of the former president are seeking to tighten their grip on the party, anticipating another run by Trump to retake the White House in 2024.

The Times