Joe Rogan says his opinion of Barack Obama has soured in wake of election

Former President Barack Obama has had an outsized influence on his party since leaving office, and that certainly remained the case during Kamala Harris' recent -- unsuccessful -- bid for the White House.

Now, it seems that Obama's approach over the course of the recent election cycle has alienated notable podcaster Joe Rogan, who says that his opinion of the former president has been forever changed for the worse, as OutKick reports.

Rogan slams campaign tactics

Throughout the recent election battle, Obama seemed to have a hand in everything from coaxing Joe Biden to step aside from his own campaign to hitting the trail to deliver speeches in support of Harris.

Along the way, the man who once could do no wrong in left-leaning circles seemed to lose some of his former luster, garnering backlash for offending key constituencies and ultimately failing to sufficiently move the needle on the VP's behalf.

Rogan is among those who are increasingly viewing Obama in a different – and markedly less positive – light, a development on which he elaborated in a recent episode.

“Obama during the Kamala Harris campaign really changed my opinion of him. I used to have a high opinion of him as an intelligent person. I thought he was just caught up in the system,” Rogan began.

He continued, “Watching him straight up lie about [Donald] Trump, with the 'very fine people' thing, the white supremacist thing, which I think worked back in 2017, but people don't believe it anymore, changed my opinion of him. People have grown numb to this stuff.”

Blockbuster endorsement delivered

Perhaps in part due to his reflections on Obama and the Harris campaign more broadly, Rogan went on to endorse Trump just one day before Americans went to the polls.

In doing so, he cited a recent interview he conducted with billionaire entrepreneur and Trump supporter Elon Musk, who Rogan said “makes what I think is the most compelling case for Trump you'll hear, and I agree with him every step of the way. For the record, yes, that's an endorsement of Trump.”

In the wake of that decision, Rogan has said, according to Fox News, that he has since received expressions of gratitude from some unexpected entertainment industry figures for his willingness to endorse Trump.

Lamenting the apprehension so many in Hollywood feel about declaring their support for anyone other than a Democrat, Rogan said, “There's a lot of that out there. There's a lot of people that don't speak their mind. Do you know how many artists that have reached out to me that are like f**cking hippies, man, like artists, like musicians, comedians that thanked me for endorsing Trump because they can't do it?”

With any luck, the overwhelming nature of Trump's win earlier this month will begin to provide all Americans a greater sense of freedom when it comes to expressing their political convictions without fear of retribution or cancellation from the intolerant left.