Podcaster Joe Rogan has shown varying levels of support for former President Donald Trump over the years, but despite that, the Republican candidate appeared certain he would appear on Rogan’s show soon.
The Joe Rogan Experience is one of the world’s most-listened to podcasts and reports have circulated in recent days that both Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris would be appearing on it.
The show leans more to the right and attracts a young, male audience, with the host often sharing similar views to Trump, such as skepticism over COVID-19 measures, prompting calls for Spotify to cut ties with Rogan.
The host has chosen not to have Trump on his show, however, saying in July 2022 that he didn’t want to help the former president, going as far as to say he was “an existential threat to democracy.”
He has generally avoided showing support for either Democrats or Republicans, and his seemingly supportive comments have been more about expressing frustration at the political establishment.
What has Joe Rogan said about Donald Trump?
Left: Republican presidential nominee, former President Donald Trump on October 14, 2024, in Oaks, Pennsylvania. Right: Ultimate Fighting Championship color commentator Joe Rogan on May 07, 2022, in Phoenix, Arizona. Here’s what Rogan has said about Trump so far.
Spencer Platt/Christian Petersen/Getty Images
‘He wasn’t a dictator’
In an episode on September 11, 2024, Rogan claimed that Trump’s first term in office was not as extreme as some had feared it would be.
“Everyone’s saying he’s going to be a dictator. Well, he wasn’t a dictator. He was the president,” Rogan said. “He actually was the president for four years and the economy really did well and he really did try to cut some of the bullsh*t down that’s going on in this country.”
Despite that, the host did say that voters struggled with the former president’s personality, rather than his politics.
“We don’t necessarily want that as the guy with his finger on the button,” he added.
‘I don’t want to help him’
In July 2022, Rogan claimed he had refused to interview Trump, saying he was “not a Trump supporter in any way, shape, or form.”
“I’ve had the opportunity to have 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,” Rogan said.
In the same episode, the host said he thought Trump would be running “against a dead man”, referring to President Joe Biden, the presumed candidate at the time.
‘I’d rather vote for Trump than [Biden]’
Ahead of the 2020 election, Rogan endorsed Bernie Sanders as the Democratic candidate before the party picked Biden.
“I’d rather vote for Trump than [Biden],” said Rogan. “I don’t think [Biden] can handle anything. You’re relying entirely on his cabinet. If you want to talk about an individual leader who can communicate, he can’t do that.”
At the time, Trump was 73 and Biden nearly 78.
“The pressure of being president of the United States is something that no one has ever prepared for,” Rogan added. The only one who seems to be fine with it is Trump, oddly enough.”
‘He might be crazy. He might be a sociopath.’
In an episode with Bill Maher in September 2023, Rogan appeared to portray Biden and Trump as equally flawed, which Maher denounced.
“My biggest issue is [Biden] lies a lot,” Rogan said, with Maher responding: “Well, certainly not more than Trump.”
Rogan said the current president was mentally compromised, which Maher also pushed back on.
“[Trump] speaks much clearer,” Rogan replied. “He might be crazy. He might be a sociopath. It still doesn’t take away from the fact there’s something wrong with Biden. He makes up words. He stumbles through things. He doesn’t seem to know where he is half the time. That’s my problem with him.”
In the same episode, Rogan said Trump was like “a city roach” who got stronger each time he ate something worse than the last.
‘The morons had a king’
Speaking with Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy in January 2023, Rogan said that the political establishment didn’t know how to react to the first Trump presidency.
“And the morons had a king. There’s a lot of morons,” Rogan said of Trump’s supporters. “And it doesn’t matter what he’s saying for them, he represents them.”
Rogan supported RFK Jr. over Trump
Over the summer, Rogan attracted criticism from Trump for saying that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was “the only one that makes sense to me” as a presidential candidate.
Trump appeared to be unhappy about the apparent support, but the independent candidate dropped out of the race and endorsed Trump instead shortly after.
Will Donald Trump appear on Joe Rogan’s show?
The former president has appeared on other podcasts in recent weeks and told the Nelk Boys on YouTube that he would appear on Rogan’s show.
“I mean, I think I’m doing it actually,” he said earlier this week.
The Trump campaign is yet to confirm the appearance, while similar reports have been made about Harris’ appearance.
