How Trump is wooing Joe Rogan after their Iran split
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Joe Rogan joined President Trump in the Oval Office on Saturday, flanked by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Americans for Ibogaine CEO W. Bryan Hubbard. Photo: Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images
President Trump and his administration officials are working aggressively behind the scenes to court Joe Rogan, even as the podcast titan torches the president over the Iran war.
Why it matters: Rogan's backing, and his pull with young male listeners, helped power Trump to a second term. The president knows that keeping him close still matters.
- Rogan made a surprise appearance in the Oval Office on Saturday, lauding Trump as he signed an executive order on an issue the podcaster had pushed to the president in a text message — speeding federal review of psychedelic drugs to help serious mental illness.
What we're hearing: The White House had been working to build bridges to Rogan for months. Trump is "frequently" in touch with the podcaster, according to a Trump aide.
- Vice President Vance and Rogan met last month during Vance's fundraising stop in Austin, where Rogan is based, according to two people familiar with the sit-down.
- Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has been in touch with Rogan and appeared on his show in February.
- Ditto for Calley Means, a Kennedy adviser and outspoken supporter of psychedelic therapies, who was on the podcast in 2024.
- RFK Jr. and Means also attended the executive order signing.
The backdrop: Rogan has been a major proponent of psychedelic-based therapies. The new executive order fast-tracks FDA review for psychedelics, designates $50 million for research into ibogaine, and orders federal agencies to expand research.
- Rogan thanked Trump and recalled texting him information about ibogaine, a psychedelic that some clinical reports say may be effective in curbing opioid addiction.
- "The text message came back: 'Sounds great. Do you want FDA approval? Let's do it.' It was literally that quick."
Behind the scenes: Two weekends ago, Trump was on his way to a UFC fight night in Miami, where Rogan was announcing, when he reached out to Dr. Mehmet Oz, administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, about ibogaine. Kennedy and Oz then got going on the executive order.
- Trump greeted Rogan cageside later that night.
- Another Trump aide said the president and Rogan have a "legitimate friendship" fostered by UFC President Dana White, who's close to both men.
- Rogan is expected to be a commentator at the UFC Freedom 250 fight night to be held June 14 on the White House South Lawn.
Friction point: Rogan has been a vocal critic of the Iran war. "You're shooting missiles into towns and blowing things up .... What the f*** are we doing? Like, how is this still going on?" the podcaster said last week.
- Rogan said voters "feel betrayed" by Trump, who "ran on no more wars."
- Trump jabbed Rogan at Saturday's signing, saying the podcaster is "a little bit more liberal than I am."
Between the lines: Neither Trump nor Rogan is willing to blow up the relationship, as evidenced by their Oval Office appearance. That contrasts with Trump's bitter shots at longtime ally Tucker Carlson, another Iran war critic. Trump called Carlson a "low-IQ person that has absolutely no idea what's going on."
- Trump aides regard Rogan as less ideologically driven than Carlson, and someone with a more diverse and apolitical mix of priorities.
- A February poll by Reuters indicated that just 33% of men ages 18-29 approve of Trump's job performance, down 10 points from a year earlier.
Within the White House, the executive order was seen as a way to maintain a bridge between Trump and Rogan.
- Go deeper: RFK's clout diminished.
