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“… then how exactly will Kamala Harris negotiate with Russia or China?” So said a friend of mine in a private DM session earlier today, on the basis of her continued fumbling of Joe Rogan and his podcast. Rogan’s featured in two big developments today, neither of which plays very well for the sitting VP.

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First, Rogan revealed last night that Harris hasn’t rejected his offer to appear on his podcast — not finally, anyway. Instead, Harris wants Rogan to pack up his studio and come to her, which Rogan won’t do:

“My sincere wish is to just have a nice conversation and get to know her as a human being.  I really hope we can make it happen.”

Ahem. Harris had every opportunity to do this show in Rogan’s studio — she was just in Texas last Friday for the Beyoncé Concert That Wasn’t, although in Houston rather than Austin. Trump did three hours with Rogan on that same day, but Rogan probably would have split his time between the two to get both sitdowns. Either that or he could have done an extra hour had she arranged it ahead of time, if that’s all Harris wanted to offer.

Instead Harris rebuffed him and wants Rogan to incur the not-insubstantial costs of a remote and travel … for a single hour. That would almost certainly disrupt his business for two days, and likely for nothing more than the filibustering that Harris usually offers when asked any tough questions. 

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And let’s face it — Harris needs Rogan and his audience a lot more than he needs Harris to appear on his show, although that would be a fine ‘get,’ in industry parlance. She has less than a week to try to turn the tide with the younger men who comprise the main part of Rogan’s audience if she has any chance of winning the election. Rogan will be the nation’s top podcaster either way; Harris will either be the president-elect or a lame-duck VP.

Besides, Rogan landed another high-profile ‘get’ today:

Donald Trump’s running mate, JD Vance, is expected to record an interview with the popular podcast host Joe Rogan on Wednesday morning in an attempt to reach less likely voters, according to two people with direct knowledge of the matter.

The podcast – called the Joe Rogan Experience – is seen as a way to reach young male voters, a demographic the Trump team has placed a premium on reaching given their strategy of trying to win the November by juicing their turnout.

Vance’s scheduled interview at 9am would come just over a week after Trump sat down with Rogan for a three-hour recording that garnered tens of millions of views across YouTube and other online platforms.

So let’s get this straight. Both Donald Trump and J.D. Vance have been able to close the deal with Rogan, even while campaigning in the same election. They are both willing to come to Rogan to get what they want — access to his audience and the younger voter demo that they also desire in the final days. On top of that, Rogan has made it clear he’s willing to deal, but Harris can’t close the sale. 

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My friend may have a very good point here. If Harris can’t get what she wants out of a willing Rogan, why should we have confidence in her ability to deal with others more hostile and cunning than Rogan? Trump has four years of that experience and at least two big wins in deal-making: the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement on trade and the Abraham Accords. Harris has … what, exactly?

This episode provides an example of how Harris is fumbling this campaign. She expects Rogan to come to her, just as she expects voters to do the same, rather than offering engagement and movement on her own. Harris feels that she is entitled to Rogan’s inconvenience in the exact same arrogant calculation that she makes with voters, which is that no one has any other valid choice but to come to her — and she will not deign to come to him or the voters. 

Well, good luck with that.