Joe Rogan has accused President Donald Trump of launching the Iran war to divert public attention from recently released Epstein documents, marking the popular podcaster’s dramatic pivot from 2024 endorser to vocal critic since hostilities commenced.
“Look, the Epstein files comes out—we go to war with Iran. It’s a good way to get people to stop talking about certain things. You give them a new problem to think about,” Rogan stated during Wednesday’s podcast episode featuring guest Arsenio Hall.
The claim represents Rogan’s latest criticism of “Operation Epic Fury” following previous warnings the campaign could trigger World War III alongside questioning whether the 79-year-old president acts recklessly because he “doesn’t have much to lose.”
“That’s spooky. You’re making decisions for babies and children and the future of the world, and you’ve only got 10, maybe 10 years left on Earth if everything goes great,” Rogan stated during his 11 March podcast.
Trump appears numerous times throughout Epstein files documenting his former friendship with the disgraced financier and accused child sex trafficker, though the President has not faced charges relating to Epstein and insists he severed ties long before the sex offender’s 2008 prostitution conviction.
Rogan drew parallels to former President Bill Clinton allegedly bombing Yugoslavia in 1999 to distract from the Monica Lewinsky scandal, with Hall agreeing “misdirection” represents “the story of American politics.”
The podcaster branded Trump supporters as feeling “betrayed” by war decisions contradicting campaign pledges. “He ran on ‘no more wars,’ ‘end these stupid, senseless wars,’ and then we have one that we can’t even really clearly define why we did it,” Rogan stated.
However, polling demonstrates Trump’s MAGA base overwhelmingly supports Iranian military action despite Rogan’s concerns—a disconnect the podcaster addressed through scathing criticism of the movement itself.
“Make America Great Again” has become “a movement of a bunch of f****** dorks because a lot of them are dorks,” Rogan stated 26 March, characterising many as “really weird, f****** uninteresting, unintelligent people that have got something they cling to.”
He acknowledged “genuine patriots” exist within MAGA whilst objecting to association with what he termed the movement’s less impressive adherents. “You got to accept the dorks, too? F*** that!” Rogan declared.
The podcaster additionally criticised Trump’s signature slogan, stating it “sucks” and that “America is great,” suggesting “Make America greater? I’m down” as an alternative formulation.
Rogan distances himself from MAGA identity whilst recently claiming many supporters are “bent on fulfilling Biblical end-times prophecies.”
