Democratic candidate for the 2020 presidential nomination Bernie Sanders has put his core constitency’s support at risk after promoting the endorsement of popular podcast host Joe Rogan, who has a history of controversial remarks.
Sanders’ Twitter account posted a video of Rogan during his podcast show, who said that he would vote for Sanders after “hanging out” with the Vermont Senator.
“He’s been insanely consistent his entire life. He’s basically been saying the same thing, been for the same thing his whole life. And that, in and of itself, is a very powerful structure to operate from,” Rogan said.
However, it seems that many of Sanders’ core supporters weren’t in favour of promoting the endorsement of Rogan, whose podcast is one of the most listened to in the country. Several commentators online have accused Rogan of being associated with racist or cisgender jokes and remarks. Some invoked Rogan's past remarks about gays and trans people as well as a "Planet of the Apes" joke he made about a black neighbourhood he visited. The twitter post started a mass debate, with many commentators vocal in their defence of Rogan and Sanders.
"The goal of our campaign is to build a multi-racial, multi-generational movement that is large enough to defeat Donald Trump and the powerful special interests whose greed and corruption is the root cause of the outrageous inequality in America," Sanders' national press secretary Briahna Joy Gray said in a statement to Fox News. "Sharing a big tent requires including those who do not share every one of our beliefs, while always making clear that we will never compromise our values. The truth is that standing together in solidarity, we share the values of love and respect that will move us in the direction of a more humane, more equal world."
The New York Post had earlier reported that according to Rogan, other Democratic candidates, including former Vice President Joe Biden, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, and former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, have all "asked" to be on his show yet were denied because Rogan would "rather talk to his friends." Andrew Yang and Rep. Tulsi Gabbard remain the only Democratic candidates besides Sanders to appear on the podcast.
