Joe Rogan claimed this week that Donald Trump has repeatedly asked to appear on his popular podcast — only for the controversial podcast to turn down the offers because he “wasn’t interested in helping” Trump.
Just days after endorsing GOP Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for president, the charter member of the so-called intellectual dark web also indicated he is “not a Trump supporter in any way, shape or form.”
Speaking to fellow podcast host Lex Friedman earlier this week, Rogan noted that “the Trump era is also going to be one of the strangest times” in recent history.
“When people look back on the divisiveness of this country, he is such a polarizing figure that so many people feel as if they could abandon their own ethics, morals and principles just to attack him and anyone who supports him, because he is an existential threat to democracy itself,” the UFC commentator continued.
After Friedman suggested that Trump was more a symptom than a cause and that “it’s only going to get weirder,” Rogan noted that the twice-impeached former president is likely to run for the White House again in 2024. At the same time, he said Trump had a good chance of winning if he faced President Joe Biden.
“Well, he’s fighting a dead man, you know? I mean, Biden is shaking hands with people who aren’t even there when he walks off the stage. I think he’s seeing ghosts,” Rogan growled.
He also criticized Biden’s recent appearance on Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night talk show, saying the president was “just babbling” and that if it were Trump or any other Republican, “every fucking talk show would be screaming for him to be taken off the air.”
Still, despite his outspoken criticism of Biden’s performance as president, the podcast star — who has achieved hero status on the right for his transphobic and anti-vaccine commentary — wanted it known that he’s not a Trump fan. And that he has repeatedly rejected offers from the Trump camp.
“By the way, I am not a Trump supporter in any way, shape or form,” he declared. “I’ve had the opportunity to take him on my show more than once: I’ve said no every time. I don’t want to help him. I’m not interested in helping him.
With a hint of skepticism, Friedman insisted Rogan would eventually “turn it on,” noting how the host has said he doesn’t care about politics and is instead interested in having a “good conversation” with his guests.
“And I think you had like Kanye, for example, and you had a great conversation with them,” Friedman added, referencing Rogan’s interview with the MAGA-boosting rap superstar.
“Yeah, but Kanye is an artist,” Rogan replied. “Kanye does well or doesn’t do well – it doesn’t change the course of our country.”
Rogan’s outright rejection of Trump and DeSantis’ recent endorsement come as conservatives increasingly abandon the former president amid explosive committee hearings on Jan. 6. Trump, meanwhile, is reportedly preparing to formally announce a 2024 bid soon in an effort to reduce the political damage from the hearings and steal headlines from potential GOP rivals like DeSantis.
A Trump spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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