In a lengthy three-hour conversation released online Friday night, former President Donald Trump and podcast host Joe Rogan explored various topics, frequently returning to discussions on election integrity.
They repeatedly touched on mail-in ballots and voter ID requirements, with Trump suggesting the U.S. should shift back to using all paper ballots. He argued that mail-in voting can lead to complications and that paper ballots are more cost-effective than voting machines.
Both Trump and Rogan questioned why anyone would oppose a law requiring voters to show identification before voting.
“It is one of the most bizarre and polarizing ideas that’s promoted by the left,” Rogan said.
Trump claimed that the only reason there’s opposition to voter ID laws is because Democrats aim to enable cheating.
“It is the only thing that makes sense,” Rogan said in agreement. At times like this, they finished each other’s sentences.
Trump stated that voters don’t support Democratic policies like open borders or allowing men to compete in women’s sports, noting that no one ever asks him to pursue those policies.
“We have to have fair elections,” Trump said, so voters can live under the policies they want.
Rogan noted that contesting election results has been a common stance among losing Democrats in the past, pointing out that both Hillary Clinton and Al Gore believed they had won their respective races. Since the 2016 election, Clinton has continued to assert that she was unfairly denied the presidency, often referring to Trump as an “illegitimate president.”
“Look at these sleaze bags in Congress that are Democrats, they’re still denying 2016,” Trump said.
Rogan remarked that election fraud has become a taboo subject, with anyone who brings it up at risk of being branded an election denier. However, he noted that many Americans feel that something seemed off about the 2020 election.
“If you ask me, ‘What is the amount of election fraud in this country, is it 0 percent?’ No one thinks it’s 0 percent, Rogan said. I’ve never met one person — not a super liberal or a right-wing conservative — not one person thinks it’s 0 percent.”
Rogan then invited Trump to share his perspective on the 2020 election.
“You’ve said over and over again that you were robbed in 2020. How do you think you were robbed?” Rogan said. “Everybody always cuts you off, but I’m going to allow you to talk.”
Joe Rogan presses Trump for proof of a "stolen" 2020 election. Trump answers with many words, says he will bring in so many different papers next time pic.twitter.com/ihaHU7fzsc
— Simon Ateba (@simonateba) October 26, 2024
Trump argued that certain voting regulations were altered without legislative approval, citing examples like extended voting periods and counties accepting unsigned ballots.
He also criticized the FBI for dismissing Hunter Biden’s laptop as Russian misinformation, denying its authenticity.
“You say you have all this evidence that 2020 was rigged. Why haven’t you put this evidence in a consumable form?” Rogan asked.
Trump noted that several books have been written on the topic.
“We have an author named Hemingway, who is a great writer,” Trump said. “She wrote a book on it,” referring to The Federalist’s Editor in Chief, Mollie Hemingway, and her book Rigged: How the Media, Big Tech, and the Democrats Seized our elections.
Donald Trump on 2020 election problems: "Books have been written on it. We have an author named [Mollie] Hemingway, who is a great writer. She wrote a book on it." pic.twitter.com/wq5kWB0uIX
— The Federalist (@FDRLST) October 26, 2024
Critics often argue that Trump’s complaints about the election results were addressed in court, but Trump contended that judges never examined the substance of the cases.
“They would say, ‘You don’t have standing,” Trump said. They didn’t rule on the merits. The merits never got there. The judges didn’t have what it took to turn it over.”
