Trump will appear on Joe Rogan's podcast as part of his latest outreach to young male voters

Former President Donald Trump will sit down with Joe Rogan to record his podcast in Austin, Texas, on Friday, according to two sources familiar with the planning.

Trump will visit Texas on the same day that Vice President Kamala Harris is scheduled to host a campaign event in the state in Houston.

“The Joe Rogan Experience” has been considered one of the most popular podcasts in all media for years, particularly among young men, who are among the Trump campaign's main targets.

For months, Trump has made a point of reaching male voters by appearing on audience-oriented podcasts, with social media influencers or at high-profile sporting events, such as the male-dominated UFC mixed martial arts fights that Trump participates in with his Friend participating Dana White. Earlier this month, the former president was scheduled to appear at a town hall moderated by Tony Robbins, a longtime self-help guru with over 7 million followers on Instagram, before Robbins postponed the event due to an approaching hurricane.

With contests close, Trump's campaign hopes growing support from male voters will help narrow the gap. His support among men — including black and Hispanic men — has risen to a 16 percent lead over Harris (56% to 40%) since 2020, according to the latest NBC poll. In contrast, women support Harris by a margin of 14 percentage points (55-41%).

National polls show the race is deadlocked.

Trump has conducted a series of interviews in recent weeks with other media personalities popular with men, including Ben Shapiro, Adin Ross and Theo Vonn. He also appeared on Andrew Schulz's Flagrant podcast with Akaash Singh. On the day Trump held a rally in Coachella, the Nelk Boys rode with the former president on his plane – and captured the visit for their millions of viewers.

Rogan and Trump have a complicated history. Although the “Fear Factor” host supported Senator Bernie Sanders during the 2020 primaries, he also praised Trump's presidency. In August, Rogan also said he was a “fan” of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., then an independent presidential candidate, although he quickly made clear he did not support him.

Rogan said about Kennedy Jr. standing up after being shot is one of the most American things ever.” He added, “I'm not the guy you get political information from.”

During his interview with the Nelk Boys Trump called Rogan “a good guy” and hinted he would appear on the podcast soon.

“The Joe Rogan Experience” has been criticized over the years as Rogan has been accused of spreading Covid misinformation, using a racial slur and making anti-Semitic comments.

Rogan signed an exclusive contract with Spotify in 2020. In February, Rogan and Spotify signed a multi-year deal that would allow the podcast host to bring “The Joe Rogan Experience” to other audio platforms. According to Spotify, it is currently the most popular podcast on the platform.