CNN Panelists Clash After One Argues Joe Rogan Supporting Trump Was All About Money: ‘Consumerism at Work’

CNN panelist Coleman Hughes clashed with Democratic strategist Ameshia Cross over whether comedian podcaster Joe Rogan “shifting towards the right” was a form of opportunism on his part, chasing an audience, or an indictment of the Democratic Party’s changing politics.

During the Democratic campaign post-mortem, many on the left have pointed to Vice President Kamala Harris’s decision not to prioritize the invitation to appear on Rogan’s podcast as a shortsighted misstep by the team and an opportunity to reach his listeners, primarily the target young male demographic.

Some Democratic strategists seek out their own liberal Rogan, to which the bemused comedian quipped, “they had me.”

Despite endorsing President-elect Donald Trump the night before the 2024 election, Rogan previously endorsed Senator Bernie Sanders (D-VT) and his progressive politics when he sought the Democratic presidential nomination for the 2020 election.

Coleman, on CNN NewsNight Wednesday, argued that Rogan’s “beliefs” haven’t fundamentally changed since he endorsed Sanders but that liberals “drove him away.”

Bernie Sanders had no problem going on Joe Rogan years ago when Joe Rogan endorsed him. I’ve been on Rogan’s show three times. I’ve probably heard over 100 hours of it in the past decade. Joe Rogan was a Bernie Sanders supporter who would get emotional talking about how important it is to legalize marijuana, who would get emotional talking about how important it is to get Christianity out of politics, in particular, on the abortion issue, who had a host of left wing opinions, including about health care.

And liberals drove him away by calling him a racist, unearthing jokes he made, calling him a misogynist. Really, with no evidence.

Cross pushed back: “When you make racist jokes about people of color people calling you racist is probably going to happen.”

Hughes continued: “Calling him transphobic because he didn’t like seeing [transgender UFC fighter] Fallon Fox beating up…”

“Vaccines…” Cross added.

“That also used to be a left wing opinion, to be against vaccines, like 20 years ago,” Hughes replied. “Again, so he actually hasn’t shape shifted very much to your point, the Democratic Party has shape shifted and driven him away and alienated his followers.”

Cross then accused Rogan of following his audience to the right and his move as “consumerism at work.”

She said: “I think what he ended up seeing was an American political sphere that shifted, and he found ways. He’s a lot smarter than people give him credit for. He found ways to walk into where those people were.”

She continued: “Yes he was a proud, you know, ultra leftist and then he became a proud person on the right largely because he saw shifting towards the right and that’s where his money and his audience could come from. He shifted because more of his listeners shifted and that’s where he drove it to. I don’t think that’s anything more than consumerism at work.”

Hughes countered with a blunt question: “Which of his beliefs changed in the past ten years?”

Cross was silent.

“It’s really hard to point out which of his beliefs…” he began, before the host pivoted.

Watch above on CNN.