President Donald Trump’s war with Iran is proving unpopular with a key influencer who boosted his 2024 campaign: podcaster Joe Rogan.
“It just seems so insane, based on what he ran on,” Rogan said of Trump. “I mean, this is why a lot of people feel betrayed, right? He ran on no more wars and these stupid senseless wars, and then we have one that we can’t even really clearly define why we did it.”
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Rogan, whose Spotify podcast attracts millions of listeners, made the comments Tuesday during a conversation with journalist Michael Schellenger. MS NOW’s legal correspondent, Ari Melber, posted the remarks on his Instagram page.
A friendly history
Rogan endorsed Trump in November 2024 after the Republican nominee appeared on his show just days before the presidential election. The two talked about various issues for hours as Trump attempted to connect with younger male voters in Rogan’s audience. By contrast, Democratic nominee Kamala Harris did not accept Rogan’s invitation to appear on his podcast.
Since the election, Trump has attended various UFC events where he has greeted Rogan, the ringside announcer for the fights.
But on Tuesday, when Schellenger asked how he currently feels about Trump, Rogan answered only, “That’s an open-ended question.”
Dating back to his first run for president in 2016, Trump has criticized U.S. military action in the Middle East, calling the 2003 invasion of Iraq a mistake.
In 2024, the Republican Party touted Trump and his running mate, JD Vance, as “The Pro-Peace Ticket.”
But since taking office, Trump has reversed course from his non-interventionist positions, overthrowing Venezuelan President Nicholas Maduro and initiating the current conflict with Iran.
Other high-profile conservatives criticize the war
As Straight Arrow News has previously reported, high–profile conservatives such as Megyn Kelly and Tucker Carlson have used their shows to criticize the war with Iran.
Kelly has said American soldiers are not dying for the United States and should not die for a foreign country.
Carlson has called the conflict Israel’s war, saying it is not being waged on behalf of American security interests.
For his part, Trump has rejected the criticism by his former staunch supporters, bluntly telling Rachel Bade of The Inner Circle that “MAGA is Trump” and that “MAGA wants to see our country thrive and be safe.”
“And MAGA loves what I’m doing — every aspect of it,” he said. “…This is a detour that we have to take in order to keep our country safe and keep other countries safe, frankly.”
