A large motorcade spotted outside Joe Rogan’s studio in Austin, Texas, today stirred confusion among onlookers. However, it was later revealed that the heightened security presence was due to Vice President of the United States, JD Vance, who was visiting Rogan’s studio to shoot a new episode of his popular podcast.

According to a CBS Austin report, JD Vance traveled to Friedrich Lane, Austin, on Tuesday with his vice presidential motorcade to appear as the latest guest on The Joe Rogan Experience.

“Big security presence on Friedrich Ln. Today 👮‍♂️🚔 Vice President JD Vance is in town to record an episode of “The Joe Rogan Experience,” CBS Austin posted on Instagram.

The adjoining clip showed a row of state police and Secret Service cars plus a bunch of police bikes. The street appeared to have been closed down for the visit. For those who may not know, the motorcade is part of the security and transportation protocol provided by the United States Secret Service for the nation’s highest-ranking constitutional officials. The measure exists because the U.S. President and Vice President are frequent targets of security threats, allowing the Secret Service to respond swiftly before any unfortunate situation takes place.

As per CBS, Vance arrived at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport aboard Air Force Two before heading to Rogan’s JRE studio. The outlet also confirmed through Secret Service officials in Austin that “extensive security measures” had been put in place due to the vice president’s arrival. According to the reports, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced temporary flight restrictions on Tuesday, issuing a notice for “VIP Movements” that restricted aircraft from operating within a seven-mile radius of Austin Airport between 11:45 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. CT.  

However, even though JD Vance appeared in Austin to record an episode of JRE, that wasn’t his original plan.

The Vice President was initially scheduled to appear on Capitol Hill on Tuesday, but the event was canceled due to a “scheduling conflict.” As a result, the 41-year-old changed his plans and instead headed to Austin to join the UFC commentator on his podcast. While this is the first time JD Vance is visiting the show as the Vice President of the United States, this isn’t his first appearance overall.

Back in October 2024, when he was still the Vice Presidential candidate, JD Vance also arrived with his Secret Service security detail. Though it likely wasn’t this large. Besides Vance, most notably, Donald Trump also traveled with his Secret Service detail when he joined the 58-year-old podcaster for an episode the same month before the 2024 presidential elections in November.

With Vance’s latest motorcade attracting plenty of attention, hopefully, Rogan brings the subject up during their podcast. Interestingly, the VP has previously shared another amusing story about Elon Musk’s reaction to the security measures provided by the Secret Service.

JD Vance shares Elon Musk’s reaction to his motorcade

For anyone, witnessing such a large convoy of vehicles dedicated solely to providing security for an important public figure can be overwhelming. That proved true even for the richest person in the world. During a recent appearance on Mike Rowe’s podcast, JD Vance shared that Elon Musk was amused after seeing his motorcade in Florida and jokingly remarked that he regretted that he couldn’t buy that level of security. 

“I was traveling, and actually Elon Musk was in my motorcade at one point,” Vance said. “I think we were in Florida, maybe during the transition. They had completely shut down traffic from the airport to, I think, Mar-a-Lago. Elon’s like, ‘You know, I can buy a lot, but I can’t buy that.’”

Well, even Elon Musk, who is now the wealthiest person in the world, cannot simply hire a security operation of that scale. That speaks volumes about how sophisticated the U.S. Secret Service’s protection measures are. In fact, we recently saw a glimpse of the Secret Service and FBI working hand in hand when they thwarted an alleged attack near the White House during the UFC Freedom 250 event.

With Vance arriving at Joe Rogan’s podcast alongside a full motorcade, it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that the intrigue surrounding the episode has grown even further.