The One Clarifying Moment From J.D. Vance’s Outrageous Joe Rogan Interview

Welcome to the Totally Normal Quote of the Day! In this segment, we showcase a quote from the news that perfectly captures how incredibly ordinary things have become.

"Did you notice all those research findings that link testosterone levels in younger men to conservative political beliefs?" — J.D. Vance during his three-hour conversation on Joe Rogan's podcast, released on Thursday.

As the campaign reaches its climax, the Trump-Vance team has fully embraced the bro-podcast scene to energize their supporters. In line with this strategy, J.D. Vance featured in a lengthy three-hour episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, a prominent podcast known for its male-centric discussions. During the conversation, Vance and Rogan delved into a variety of subjects, but a key focus was Vance's goal to position the Republican Party as the embodiment of masculinity, reflecting the campaign's distinctly gender-oriented approach.

For instance, when Rogan suggested that practicing martial arts can often lead someone to adopt conservative views, Vance seized the opportunity to link support for Donald Trump with elevated testosterone levels. Rogan's point was different; he believed that martial arts foster a conservative mindset by highlighting the value of hard work. However, Vance took it a step further by insinuating that higher testosterone levels are associated with being a Trump supporter.

“Perhaps that’s why the Democrats seem to prefer that we all struggle with our health and carry extra weight,” Vance commented, not specifying how he believes Democrats are working against public health. “This could lead to us becoming more progressive.” He might be alluding to the body positivity movement, but it’s unclear exactly what he intended to convey.

Vance’s strongest opinions regarding gender focused more on LGBTQ+ matters than on hormones. He speculated that Trump would capture the support of “normal gay guys” because they were fed up with being included in gender-related discussions. “Now all this wild stuff has been added, and they’re saying, ‘No, we don’t support giving medical treatments to 9-year-olds who are changing their gender,’” Vance remarked. He suggested that the Trump campaign welcomed gay men, as long as those men also aligned with traditional views on gender and masculinity.

Transgender women emerged as a significant target in the Trump campaign's strategy of invoking fear, second only to immigrants. Vance frequently referenced them as a threat to traditional views of masculinity. He accused transgender women of exposing their bodies to children by wearing revealing clothing in public, stating, "If that's the case, you're a pervert." He also claimed that pharmaceutical companies were inappropriately promoting hormone treatments for kids. Vance dismissed the notion of transgender children by citing his 4-year-old son pretending to be a dinosaur. “Am I supposed to take him to a dinosaur transition clinic and give him scales?” he questioned. Additionally, he voiced concerns about his daughter’s safety in sports, worrying that she might get seriously hurt competing against transgender girls. "I'm scared she could be injured because we're allowing a 6-foot-1 male to compete against her," he said.

At first glance, Vance might not appear to be the ideal representative for Trump when it comes to discussing toxic masculinity. Unlike Trump, who has been married multiple times and embodies a flashy, over-the-top celebrity personality, Vance has only had one marriage and lacks that same brash confidence. However, Vance is an educated thinker with a degree from Harvard Law, which enables him to formulate thoughtful arguments that can support Trump’s more impulsive remarks.

It's interesting that his strangest viewpoint on gender relates to prestigious universities. He proposed a controversial idea: that white parents have a motive to support their children in identifying as transgender to improve their chances of getting accepted into Ivy League schools. Vance mentioned:

If you’re a middle-class or upper-middle-class white parent and your main concern is getting your child into prestigious schools like Harvard or Yale, you’ve probably noticed that this route has become increasingly challenging for many families in your demographic. However, one avenue for these parents to engage with the DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) efforts in our society is through the experience of being transgender. It raises the question of whether embracing a transgender identity is seen as a way to distance oneself from the advantages of white privilege.

This theory is clearly ridiculous. There's no proof that anyone has ever pushed their child to pretend to be transgender just to get into college. However, if you dig a little deeper, you can understand how this idea aligns with Vance's perspective. He believes that liberal social policies intentionally create disadvantages for white individuals. In his view, in a system that he sees as unjust—where gaining respect requires some form of oppression—white people feel pressured to find convoluted ways to relate to marginalized groups, leading to a confusing and exhausting game of identity deception.

It's a narrow perspective that fails to recognize the true struggles faced by those who are oppressed. However, for the 14.5 million people tuning into Joe Rogan on Spotify and the 17.6 million subscribers on YouTube who dedicate three hours of their day to his content, it resonates deeply. Many of these listeners are looking for reassurance that they don't have to question outdated notions of masculinity and gender—with J.D. Vance ready to provide just that.