Podcaster and comedian Joe Rogan clarified Friday that he is not supporting Robert Kennedy Jr. for president instead of former President Donald Trump, after sparking anger among Trump supporters.
Discussing the election with YouTuber Sam Gymlan on Thursday, Rogan lamented that both the right and the left are “deceiving you, manipulating you, promoting narratives.”
“The only one who’s not doing that is Robert F. Kennedy Jr.,” Rogan said, praising Kennedy as “the only one who makes sense to me.”
When Gymlan asked if Rogan was a fan of RFK Jr., he agreed.
“He is the only one who does not attack people, he attacks actions and ideas, but he is much more reasonable and intelligent,” he said.
But Rogan was forced to retract his apparent support for RFK Jr. a day later following massive MAGA backlash.
“Let the record show that this is not an endorsement,” Rogan said. wrote In a rare post on X on Friday, I said, “I like RFK Jr. as a person and really appreciate the way he talks about things with civility and intelligence.”
Joe Rogan at the Majestic Theater in San Antonio, Texas, for his Netflix special
Rogan also praised Trump for his response to the assassination attempt on him in Butler, Pennsylvania, after a gunman shot him in the ear.
“I also think Trump raising his fist and saying ‘fight!’ after being shot is one of the most American things ever,” he said.
Rogan had sparked anger among Trump supporters after a clip from his show indicated he was supporting Kennedy for president.
Trump questioned Rogan’s apparent endorsement on social media.
“It will be interesting to see how loud the booing will be against Joe Rogan the next time he steps into the UFC ring,” Trump asked in a post on Truth Social, even after Rogan attempted to clarify his stance.
Rogan’s praise for Kennedy and subsequent newspaper articles about his “support” for Kennedy over Trump drew ire from his supporters.
‘So, I’ve never been a fan of Joe Rogan, I can’t stand him, yes, he has a popular podcast, but I’ve always thought he was absolutely politically stupid, he’s great at discovering things two years after us.’ wrote X.com user @catturd2 on social media to his 2.7 million followers.
Joe Rogan in his podcasting studio in Austin, Texas
He noted that Rogan endorsed Sen. Bernie Sanders in 2016.
“It’s the podcast equivalent of a dumb blonde joke,” @catturd2 concluded.
Human Events editor Jack Posobiec said the moment was proof of why Rogan was quietly anti-Trump.
“Now you know why Rogan has a blacklist of pro-Trump people on his show,” he wrote on social media, highlighting Rogan’s praise for Kennedy.
Rogan’s podcast attracts a large male audience, many of them Trump supporters.
She interviewed Kennedy in June 2023, where they discussed her family history, government censorship, and struggles with government actions on coronavirus lockdowns and vaccine mandates.
While Rogan has met and shaken hands with Trump during his UFC fight appearances, he has never hosted the former president for an interview.
“Most people don’t actually care about your support, we want you to have Trump on your platform,” X.com user “Johnny Maga” wrote in response to Rogan’s post.
Podcaster Tim Pool, who previously announced his intention to vote for Trump, lamented that Trump supporters tend to scare away like-minded individuals with their outrage.
“There’s a reason they can’t get Rogan’s support and it’s precisely this behavior,” he wrote on social media. “The most important podcast, resolutely independent, fair and honest, and they decide to go to war with him instead of trying to ally with him.”
On July 9, Trump and Rogan were spotted shaking hands at the UFC 290 fight in Las Vegas, and the 77-year-old presidential candidate has since been lobbying for an invitation to sit down and record with him.
When Gymlan asked if Rogan was a fan of RFK Jr., he agreed.
Rogan made headlines last month after predicting that Kamala Harris would win, though he said he was surprised by how quickly the media narrative turned in her favor.
“I think we’re in a very strange moment where people are getting carried away by stupid things in a way that I never suspected they would,” Rogan argued. “They just don’t want Trump no matter what, and they’re willing to fool themselves — and by the way, I think Hillary could win.”
Rogan has been widely critical of President Joe Biden for months over his apparent mental and physical decline and is often hostile to establishment politicians.
He has hosted Rep. Tulsi Gabbard on his show several times and even hosted Sen. Bernie Sanders in August 2019.
In August 2023, podcaster Patrick Bet-David urged Rogan to interview Trump despite Rogan’s public reluctance to do so.
“I don’t know, maybe,” Rogan said. “At some point, it’s like… It would be interesting to hear his perspective on a lot of things.”