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- President Donald Trump is ostensibly in favor of an extracurricular debate vs. Democratic nominee Joe Biden if the moderator is podcast host and UFC commentator Joe Rogan.
- Trump tweeted in favor of the notion Monday morning, despite the 2020 presidential debate moderators already being set, with the opening contest scheduled for Sept. 29.
- Rogan has previously said he would vote for Trump over Biden, and has speculated Biden is suffering from some sort of cognitive decline.
- On a recent episode of his podcast, Rogan bet his guest $100 that Biden won’t show up to the debates, despite Biden and his campaign repeatedly confirming he will attend all three.
- The Biden campaign did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment.
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President Donald Trump welcomed an extra debate with Democratic nominee Joe Biden on Monday, tweeting that he’s in favor of an extracurricular contest moderated by podcast host and UFC commentator Joe Rogan.
The 2020 presidential debate moderators are already set, and the first debate is scheduled for Sept. 29.
Rogan, the former host of Fear Factor and one of the most listened to podcast hosts worldwide, recently discussed the debates on his show.
—Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 14, 2020
Despite Biden and his campaign repeatedly saying he will be present at all three of the scheduled presidential debates, Rogan bet his show’s guest $100 that Biden won’t show up.
"Biden's not gonna do it," Rogan said. "I don't think he can. I don't think he can stand there for that long and last."
Rogan has long speculated Biden is suffering from some sort of cognitive decline, with his only evidence being clips of the candidate stuttering or losing his train of thought.
The podcast mogul has also noted that he is not an expert on politics and does not tune in frequently.
Biden has said he "can hardly wait to compare my cognitive capability to the cognitive capability of the man I'm running against," and the Trump campaign's repeated efforts to paint Biden as senile backfired when the nominee exceeded expectations at his convention speech.
Further complicating matters on the slim chances of a debate moderated by Rogan — which would not be under the approved set already scheduled by the Commission on Presidential Debates — are the podcast host's previous comments saying he would "rather vote for Trump than Biden."
The Biden campaign did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.