Podcast host Joe Rogan offered high praise for state Rep. James Talarico (D) on his podcast Friday, telling the Texas lawmaker that he should launch a White House bid.
“You need to run for president. We need someone who is actually a good person,” Rogan said at the end of a multi-hour interview.
Talarico, who has been in office since 2018, has been considered a rising star by some for his Christian faith and popular TikTok account where he pushes back on Texas GOP policy on education and public schools.
Appearing on Rogan’s podcast is a coveted opportunity for politicians, notably for Democrats looking to recapture the young, male audience the party feels it has lost.
Talarico is considering a dark-horse bid for Senate in a crowded Democratic primary that includes former Rep. Colin Allred (D-Texas). He laughed after Rogan told him to run for president and pushed back on the host’s suggestion.
“We were talking about how politics has become a religion. This is one of the ways it does. People put all their faith in a politician,” Talarico said.
“I’ve seen it with Bernie. I like Bernie a whole lot, but some people treat him as if he’s a messianic figure,” the Texas lawmaker added. “And Trump on the right, people treat him as a messiah in some ways. This is a problem.”
Talarico told Politico that the invitation from Rogan came after the popular podcast host saw one of his videos on TikTok, where he has almost one million followers.
In increasingly viral videos, Talarico has railed against a Texas bill to require schools to display the Ten Commandments and panned a new bill on private school vouchers. He is currently studying to become a pastor.
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