Donald Trump appeared in the highly anticipated interview with Joe Rogan on Friday at the podcast host’s studio in Austin, Texas. The episode of “The Joe Rogan Experience” (JRE) was uploaded to Spotify and YouTube late Friday. However, a strange incident occurred: the video was not listed on YouTube for a short period of time, leaving several viewers perplexed.

Rogan, host of one of the most popular podcasts in the world, has more than 17 million YouTube subscribers and 14.5 million Spotify followers. The pivotal discussion between Trump and Rogan covered a wide range of cultural and political issues and lasted nearly three hours, causing a major delay in Trump’s planned speech in Traverse City, Michigan ahead of the November 5 election.

The internet was on fire when Trump sat down for an episode of The JRE, even as fans demanded Rogan interview him. This came despite Rogan previously claiming that “I am in no way a Trump supporter.” However, the situation seemed to change in 2022 following Rogan’s comments on the Lex Fridman podcast and the former president was recently mentioned in JRE episode number 2219.

Why wasn’t Trump’s podcast with Joe Rogan on YouTube? ask netizens

The JRE has received a huge number of views since Rogan rejoined the platform after ending his exclusive deal with Spotify. Now many are wondering why his most talked-about interview with Trump was temporarily removed from YouTube?

In the YouTube comments section, some viewers were quick to express their anger, asking, “Why isn’t this on the list? Make it public so we can break the internet!” Others even wondered, “Why this secrecy?”

In the comments section, one person hinted that Rogan’s deal with Spotify could be the reason behind it. Surprisingly, the user was right! The YouTube version was restored once the episode was released on Spotify.

Also read: Who does Donald Trump see as ‘enemies from within’? “Those people are more dangerous…”

Joe Rogan provides clarification

Meanwhile, Rogan himself issued a clarification after some social media users accused YouTube of censoring his interview with Trump. In a post on X, the host stated that “there is no problem.”

“There is no problem with YouTube censoring the Trump episode. It was supposed to go live on both Spotify and YouTube at the same time and there was a problem with Spotify’s upload system. Therefore, we have removed the YouTube link until the issue is resolved. It should be fine now,” Rogan wrote.

Trump has recently distanced himself from certain major networks, preferring to use YouTube broadcasts and Logan Paul’s “Impaulsive” show. It appears the ex-president is trying to expand his audience, especially among younger and more independent voters, who make up a large portion of Rogan’s audience.

The JRE podcast retains a special place in today’s media sphere, Edison Research claims. While the male population makes up 80% of his audience, he has listeners from all political parties, including Democrats and Republicans. This gives the upper hand to Rogan’s platform, which is especially beneficial for candidates looking to win over undecided voters before Election Day. It could also be essential for Trump’s team to connect with this diverse audience as Election Day approaches.