Joe Rogan Humiliates Trump After White House Love-In
Trump’s sucking up to Rogan clearly didn’t go far enough.
Nathan Howard/REUTERS
Joe Rogan has ripped into the war in Iran again, just days after President Trump fawned over him in the Oval Office.
Rogan has openly criticized the administration over the bombardment, one of a cadre of right-wing commentators to have put daylight between themselves and Trump since February.
In a bid to keep the world’s biggest podcaster and the hordes of young men that come with him on side, Trump invited Rogan to stand behind him at the Resolute Desk to watch him sign an executive order expediting an FDA review for psychedelic drug treatment, a practice Rogan has supported.
But that wasn’t enough to stop the 58-year-old, who has an average of 11 million listeners per episode, from speaking his mind about Trump. Venting on his show, The Joe Rogan Experience, the podcaster slammed what is likely to be Trump’s defining foreign policy, less than a week after being welcomed into the Oval Office.
“People have wanted [the Supreme Leader and the ruling Islamic Republic] out of Iran… for 47 years,” Rogan said on Thursday’s episode. “But no one has actually gone and done it the way this administration did it, and it doesn’t make sense they chose to do it when they did it. Like what made sense was… when they dropped that bunker buster bomb to disable their nuclear plant.”
Get the best of The Beast delivered right to your inbox
By clicking “SUBSCRIBE” you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Rogan was referring to Operation Midnight Hammer, which saw U.S. bombers carry out targeted strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, supposedly striking a major blow to its missile-grade aspirations.

Rogan has made his skepticism about the war clear.
Courtesy of Netflix
A few minutes later, Rogan mused with his guest, Australian comedian James McCann, about the initial trigger that led the U.S. to launch a large-scale attack on February 28. “But, you know, why did we do it? I don’t know. I think because of Israel, if I had to guess,” he said. “[It’s] the only thing that makes sense. Then [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu kept visiting the White House. You think it’s a coincidence? Netanyahu keeps visiting the White House. And then eventually they decide to give in and start bombing.
“And also, you, you got to wonder, like, how do you get out of this, and then what does the exit look like? Do we have troops over there forever now? Do we subsidize them if we blow up their, their power grid.”
Several right-wing podcasters, including Megyn Kelly, Tucker Carlson, Alex Jones, and Theo Von, have now split with Trump, saying his warmongering ambitions clash with the America First principles that they and their followers fell for.
Trump's executive order accelerated a treatment Rogan has supported.
Nathan Howard/REUTERS
Rogan, the most influential of them all, may have broken with the president to a lesser degree, but still said on an episode last month that the war in Iran is “terrifying” and “exactly the opposite of what we were told leading into this administration.”
Meanwhile, on an episode of his show with fellow MAGA exile Von, the pair used the word “scared” or variations of it over 30 times.

Alex Jones has also broken from Trump.
Alex Jones/X
When Von said, “I’m scared, I’m going to be honest with you. I’m scared,” Rogan replied, “Well, you should be. It’s a scary time because this is a real, hot war.”
Rogan said during Saturday’s visit to Washington, D.C., that he’d texted Trump about the drug ibogaine and its potential to treat people with mental illness.
He said Trump soon texted him back, saying, “Sounds great. Do you want FDA approval? Let’s do it.”
During the photo opp, Rogan stood directly behind Trump. The president appeared to acknowledge the rift that had emerged between them since their halcyon days of 2024, saying, “We all respect Joe. He’s a little bit more liberal than I am.”
The Daily Beast has contacted the White House for comment.
Unlock a year of full access to The Looker and The Daily Beast for $35.
Monthly
$1
First month then $5.99/month
Annual
$35
First year then $59.99/year
Premium
$79
First year then $119.99/year
*Substack access provided by the next business day, using your subscription email. Choosing the Premium plan constitutes your permission to share your subscription email with Substack and your agreement to Substack’s Privacy Policy.
Looks like you already have a subscription!
You're all set!
Thanks for subscribing.
Register below to read this article for free or subscribe
to unlock unlimited access to The Looker and The Daily Beast.
Monthly
$1
First month then $5.99/month
Annual
$35
First year then $59.99/year
Premium
$79
First year then $119.99/year
*Substack access provided by the next business day, using your subscription email. Choosing the Premium plan constitutes your permission to share your subscription email with Substack and your agreement to Substack’s Privacy Policy.
Already have an account? Sign In
Looks like you already have a subscription!
You're all set!
Thanks for subscribing.
Sign in
Login dialog



ADVERTISEMENT
Sign in or create an account
Login dialog
Loading comments…
ADVERTISEMENT