Joe Rogan gives backing to Donald Trump in US election

Joe Rogan has given his endorsement to Donald Trump as Americans head to the polls in Tuesday's presidential election.

The podcaster said he was giving the Republican his backing after being convinced in one of his interviews by tech billionaire Elon Musk, another high-profile supporter of Trump.

Rogan's backing could carry significant weight with his young, male listenership - which is also a demographic that Trump has been working hard to court ahead of the 2024 vote. Trump welcomed the endorsement as "great" news.

Trump's rival, Democratic nominee Kamala Harris, has received endorsements from numerous other top celebrities, including musicians Taylor Swift and Beyoncé.

Rogan's endorsement could reach a wide audience, since he enjoys more than 18 million subscribers on YouTube and more than 14 million followers on Spotify.

Trump himself appeared on the podcast last month - speaking about topics from the "biggest mistake" of his time in the White House to whether alien life exists. Harris, too, has featured on podcasts during her campaign - but to a lesser extent.

Almost 80% of Rogan's audience are men, while half are between the ages of 18 and 34, according to the firm Edison Research. Trump's 2024 campaign has focused on podcasts popular with younger men over traditional media outlets.

The race has been characterised by pundits as a story of men v women - with Donald Trump enjoying a huge polling lead among men, and women telling pollsters they prefer Kamala Harris by a similarly large margin.

Katy Perry and Lady Gaga were among the stars who lent their support to Harris on the eve of the election. And at a rally in swing state Pennsylvania, TV host Oprah Winfrey issued an appeal to voters to protect women's reproductive rights.

Meanwhile, explaining his endorsement for Trump, Rogan wrote that Mr Musk "makes what I think is the most compelling case for Trump you'll hear, and I agree with him every step of the way".

Writing on X to introduce his interview with Musk, Rogan praised "the great and powerful" Mr Musk himself. Tesla founder Mr Musk has appeared at recent Trump rallies and has been giving away prizes of $1m (£770,000) a day to registered voters in battleground states.

Trump, who has previously suggested he could reward Elon Musk with a job if he wins the vote, said at a rally that Rogan's backing was "great" and "so nice".

The endorsement appears to mark a significant shift in politics for Rogan. He once said he would "probably" vote for Sen Bernie Sanders - a progressive who previously competed for the Democratic presidential nomination himself.

As recently as 2022, the podcaster said he did not want to "help" Trump electorally because he was "an existential threat to democracy". He previously lent his support to Robert F Kennedy Jr, then running as an independent presidential candidate.

Rogan, who ventured into podcasting after a career as a stand-up comedian, is known for hosting an ideologically diverse mix of guests.

Occasionally, this editorial approach has landed him in controversy - for example during the Covid pandemic, when he was accused of spreading vaccine misinformation.