Pierre Poilievre sits down for interview with podcaster Joe Rogan

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre sat down with Joe Rogan this week for an interview with the popular podcast host in an effort to sell the American people on tariff-free trade with Canada, he said.

“We need to harness the goodwill of the American people, and what better place to do it than on the biggest podcast in the world, fighting for Canadian workers,” Poilievre told reporters while on a trip to New York on Thursday.

The interview, which was just over two hours long, was released Thursday afternoon on the latest episode of “The Joe Rogan Experience.”

Rogan’s show is one of the most popular podcasts globally, with more than 10 million listeners per episode, on average.

Despite its popularity, the podcast is also controversial. Rogan has been criticized for platforming certain polarizing figures, and for not sufficiently fact-checking guests during his long-form interviews, leading to the spread of misinformation, critics say.

“The biggest problem for Poilievre is that in some people’s mind’s he’s now wearing everything that Joe Rogan ever said,” CTV political commentator and former federal NDP leader Tom Mulcair told CTV News Channel on Thursday.

“So, that’s a bit tricky, but at the same time, it’s the same Poilievre who just spoke with Peter Mansbridge and did a pretty good turn there, and he’s showing more openness to talking to other people.”

Earlier this month, Poilievre appeared on an episode of “The Bridge with Peter Mansbridge” podcast, where he described a shift in his media strategy to the retired newscaster.

“I made a decision on interviews that I’m going to go everywhere and talk to everyone,” Poilievre said in the interview.

“I went from having a very focused strategy of using social media and reaching out in a very controlled way to specific outlets, whereas now I think I’m just going to talk to everybody, go as far and wide as I can and reach as many people, everywhere if possible.”

‘I offered to have that Pierre guy come on’

While Rogan’s political discussions mostly focus on the U.S., where he resides, he has touched on Canadian politics in the past and was an outspoken critic of former prime minister Justin Trudeau – something he and Poilievre have in common.

“Poilievre’s worldview tends to resemble that of Rogan on a certain number of issues, although Rogan is a man full of contradictions but that’s, I think, what endears him to so many of his listeners,” Mulcair said.

“He just keeps talking, and says a bunch of things that, if you compare it to past statements, can appear contradictory or not at all in the same basket, (but) Poilievre is doing the right thing as Opposition leader going to the (United) States.”

Rogan has talked about the Opposition leader before, claiming that he invited Poilievre to come on his podcast last year during Canada’s federal election campaign that saw Poilievre lose his Ottawa-area seat.

“I offered to have that Pierre guy come on the podcast,” Rogan said in an episode following the election. “He didn’t do it. Wouldn’t do it, thought it was too problematic or whatever.”

When asked Thursday in New York about calling Rogan’s podcast “problematic,” Poilievre said: “I haven’t done that.”

Trade tensions

Poilievre noted on Thursday that the timing of the podcast appearance was intentional, as Canada is nearing renegotiations with the U.S. over the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA).

Tensions between Ottawa and Washington remain high as the two countries butt heads over the trade and tariff policies of U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration.

“I wanted to maximize Canadian leverage going in, and one of the biggest leverage points we have for steel, aluminum and lumber workers is the goodwill of the American people, so I used the podcast to argue in favour of removing those tariffs,” Poilievre said.

“Not just because it’s great for Canadian workers, but also because it will make life more affordable for American consumers. We had a great conversation, Joe’s a great guy, and my mission was very simple: fight for Canada.”