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Joe said in the interview that he knew he wanted to do the interview as soon as Trump got shot. He goes on to say he wanted to wait for dramatic timing.
Well, he certainly got the timing right.
I'm pretty amazed at Trump's campaign to be honest. Recruiting Elon Musk, RFK Jr, Tulsi Gabbard and now finally getting Rogan onside (debatable as it's not an endorsement, but the outcome is the same as if it was).
And these are real investments into Trump's success, not just your usual 'celebrity endorses politician' article that is quickly forgotten. I never thought I'd see Elon (awkwardly, as is his way) holding townhalls around the country to promote a politician.
Overall, this is a really interesting election year that is probably only overshadowed by 2016 for craziness.
Right, when people say they've been especially exhausted by this election cycle, I have to wonder what they were doing 8 years ago. That one was crazy because no one liked Trump. No one with any respectable position in pop culture was willing to openly hope for his victory. It seemed his only supporters were anons and the denizens of flyover country, who all did their best to make the movement very unseemly. And then he won! My sister texted me that night telling me she was crying. I told her she needed to chill big time (and I was right).
This time he's got Zuck calling him a badass and Reddit's ultimate hero-turned-villain Elon Musk basically campaigning for him. JFK's nephew?! Scorned former Democrat (and woman) Tulsi Gabbard? Sure your open support will leave your professional friends sputtering, but this time around you do have some modest cover under the support of these guys.
Maybe that does make it crazier than 8 years ago? I don't know.
Speaking from a purely entertainment standpoint, it was much easier to root for Trump in 2016 because no one liked him. It almost felt like a movie, where Trump went around and beat down all of the Republican candidates before fighting the final boss. Also, 2016 Trump was a much more fun, energetic, and clever Trump. A lot of the quips he made off the cuff in the debates were legitimately genius. Also, him gimmicking every one of his opponents (Lyin' Ted, Little Marco, Crooked Hillary) was really fun (Cacklin' Kamala was literally so easy). This time, there's no underdog story because he's already won. He's much slower mentally. He's also much less energetic. In 2016, the Republican debates were legitimately riveting television. There weren't any debates in 2024. The magic is just not all there. It's like if they did a remake of a beloved childhood film. It looks like the film everyone knows and loves, but there's just something missing.
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That honestly doesn't sound worrying if I completely ignore hindsight. Why would you exhaust yourself over some puffed up nobody who's going to go down in history as the other candidate when the first woman president was elected?
Eight years later, he has the weight of history behind him.
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