Rogan Blasts Trump Over Iran Again: 'That's How You Start A World War III'
Joe Rogan, the world’s most popular podcaster, again criticized President Donald Trump and the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran on his show Wednesday, accusing Trump of reneging on his campaign promise of no new wars.
Key Facts
Rogan, who spoke with “Triggernometry” podcast hosts Francis Foster and Konstantin Kisin on his show Wednesday, questioned Trump’s decision to wage war on Iran one day after voicing similar criticisms.
“It’s terrifying and it's exactly the opposite of what we were told leading into this administration,” Rogan said, citing Trump’s campaign promise that “it's going to be America first, no more unnecessary foreign wars.”
Rogan criticized “unnecessary aggression by the United States government” and said the Iran conflict could get “really ugly, because that’s how you start a World War III.”
Rogan appeared to suggest the Trump administration does not have a vision for the Iran conflict, saying after Kisin claimed Trump does have a vision: “I hope you're right, but I don't think you are ... I think it's possible they thought this would be over much quicker.”
What Has Rogan Previously Said About Iran?
On Tuesday’s episode of “The Joe Rogan Experience,” in which he interviewed author Michael Shellenberger, Rogan again criticized Trump for apparently reneging on his “America First” campaign promises. “This is why a lot of people feel betrayed, right?” Rogan said, calling Trump’s strikes on Iran “so insane based on what he ran on.” Rogan said Trump campaigned 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.” He compared the Iran war to the U.S. capture of Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro, which Rogan said “was, at least, clean. They go in, kidnap him, get him out.” The Iran conflict, Rogan said, is “nuts” in comparison.
How Else Has Rogan Broken With Trump?
Rogan, whose endorsement of Trump in 2024 was considered crucial, has increasingly criticized the president throughout his second term, particularly over the administration’s handling of the Epstein files and the killing of multiple Americans by immigration authorities. Rogan said on his podcast last month the heavily redacted Epstein files are a "terrible look for Trump, when he was saying none of this was real, it was all a hoax. This is not a hoax.” He accused the administration of redacting names of “powerful billionaire guys” and said the administration is “not protecting the victims” by redacting names of people who were not victims. In a January episode, Rogan suggested the administration was carrying out immigration raids in Minnesota to distract from the Epstein files, stating the “whole thing is weird.” He also criticized the killings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good by immigration authorities, and in July, he said Trump’s immigration policies are “crazy” and an “overcorrection.”
Key Background
Rogan has been the world’s most popular podcaster throughout the 2020s, ranking as Spotify’s top podcast for the past six years. In 2024, Rogan interviewed Trump on his podcast and endorsed his presidential campaign. He was one of several podcasters considered part of the “manosphere”—an informal term for influencers that appeal to young men with a conservative leaning—to either interview Trump or back his White House bid. Some of the other manosphere podcasters, though, have also broken with Trump in recent months, including Andrew Schulz, who also criticized the war in Iran on his podcast last week and said Americans do not want it. “Americans don’t give a f—. Americans can’t f— afford healthcare, they don’t care about what’s happening in Iran,” Schulz said.