Joe Rogan Blames Netanyahu Visit To White House For Iran War

Key Facts

Why Did Rogan Join Trump At The White House?

Rogan stood behind Trump in the Oval Office on Saturday as the president signed an executive order that would expedite research into psychedelic drugs. While at the White House, Rogan said he had previously texted Trump about ibogaine, a psychedelic drug that advocates say can treat post-traumatic stress disorder and opioid addictions, though critics say it can cause heart problems. Rogan said Trump quickly texted back, “Sounds great. Do you want FDA approval? Let’s do it.” As Rogan stood behind him, Trump appeared to allude to Rogan’s critiques of his administration’s handling of the Iran war and the Epstein files, saying, “We all respect Joe. He’s a little bit more liberal than I am,” to laughter in the room. Rogan addressed his White House visit on an episode of his podcast earlier this week. His guest, comedian Luis J. Gomez, said people were “pissed” Rogan was at the White House because he had previously said he is “politically homeless.” “I am,” Rogan responded, noting Trump “joked about it” by calling him liberal.

What Has Rogan Said About The Iran War?

Rogan has criticized the war in Iran for weeks on his podcast, suggesting Trump violated his campaign promise of “America First.” “It’s terrifying and it’s exactly the opposite of what we were told leading into this administration,” he said in an episode last month, blaming “unnecessary aggression by the United States government” and suggesting “that’s how you start a World War III.” Rogan has compared the Iran conflict unfavorably to the United States’ capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, which he said “was, at least, clean. They go in, kidnap him, get him out.”

Tangent

Spotify said earlier Thursday “The Joe Rogan Experience” is the most listened-to podcast of all time on the streaming platform. Spotify released its most-streamed songs, artists and podcasts of all time to celebrate its 20th anniversary. Rogan beat out “Gemischtes Hackfleisch,” a German comedy podcast, and “Crime Junkie,” a true crime show. Market research firm Edison Research said last week Rogan was the top podcast of the first quarter of 2026 in the United States.

Key Background

Rogan interviewed and endorsed Trump in 2024. But in addition to the Iran war, he has also become a vocal critic of the administration’s handling of the Epstein files. Rogan has previously said the release of redacted 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,” accusing the administration of protecting “powerful billionaire guys.” He also suggested in January the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration raids were a tactic to distract from the Epstein files. Rogan is one of multiple podcasters—in addition to Theo Von and Andrew Schulz, among others—who have criticized the administration since interviewing or endorsing Trump in 2024.

Further Reading

Joe Rogan—Iran War Critic—Joins Trump At White House As He Loosens Restrictions On Psychedelics (Forbes)