Comedian and MMA announcer Joe Rogan stated on his podcast this week that no Republican candidate can beat Donald Trump in the GOP primary.
“No one on the Republican side is going to fight and win against Trump because you don’t get the Trump supporters. They’re all talking about Trump. Unless he has a stroke. Unless something terrible happens,” the former Fear Factor host told guest Patrick Bet-David.
Rogan, 55, praised Trump, calling the three-time indicted ex-president’s tenure “effective,” citing economic improvements. During the episode, Rogan also said he was open to having Trump on his show so the pair could discuss the “deep state.”
The comedian added that others are now agreeing with Trump’s policies, including building a wall.
“People loved the ideas he put forward…everyone thinks there should be a wall. Even the mayor of New York City is now calling for an end to immigration into his city. This is a man who has called for it to be made a shrine,” Rogan said.
Comedian Joe Rogan said on a recent episode of his podcast that ex-President Donald Trump is unbeatable in the GOP primaries
Rogan praised Trump’s work on the economy during his four years in office, while also taking aim at his enemies
Rogan then took aim at Trump’s critics, while also saying he was a friend of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis who would tell him to drop out of the race.
“If you look at the conspiracy with Russia. If you look at the Steele file. If you look at all the bullshit they tried to throw at him which we now know is bullshit. Not just bullshit, but coordinated bulls**t. If you look at the fact that they suppressed this Hunter Biden laptop story.”
And 51 intelligence representatives signed that to say that this is Russian disinformation, which we know they know is not true.
‘That’s creepy. Because now you have the intelligence agencies conspiring to prevent a man from becoming president who was president at a time when the country was booming economically,” Rogan added.
Bet-David inquired when Rogan would have Trump on his hugely popular podcast. “I don’t know — maybe,” said the comedian.
Rogan has said for years that he wouldn’t want the former Apprentice host as a guest, but now he seems to have softened the matter.
‘I’d like to know what it’s like when you actually get into office? I would like to know things like how is it vs perception? What is it like when you enter that building? What are you greeted with? When do you know people are messing with you,’ Rogan thought.
Rogan said that if he were a friend of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, he would advise him to drop out of the race.
Rogan, a popular figure in the UFC world, insinuated he would be open to the idea of having Trump on his show
Rogan also wondered how Trump came to the decision to fire former FBI director James Comey.
The comedian then referenced a famous Bill Hicks routine about becoming president-elect and then getting to see JFK’s assassination from a previously unseen angle.
“You know, what is the machine that runs this country? Because it’s very clear that it’s not as simple as elected representatives doing the will of the people,” Rogan continued.
“Just so you know, he and I don’t talk. You know, it’s not like, hey, his camp says go in there and do this and do that. I’ve never interviewed the man, so it’s not like I’m lobbying for it,” Bet-David replied.
Meanwhile, Trump, fresh off his third appearance in court as a criminal defendant, gave a speech full of defiance and blunders Friday night, insulting prosecutors and declaring that the charges he faces will only benefit his 2024 presidential campaign.
“Every time they indict, we go up in the polls,” Trump said at a Republican Party dinner in Alabama. “We need one more indictment to close this election. One more charge and this election is closed. No one even has a chance.’
Trump was characteristically insolent as he took the stage Friday night for Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA,” giving the audience a thumbs-up, raising his fist and receiving a nearly three-minute standing ovation.
“We’ll be here for a while,” he joked as he asked the crowd to take their seats.
The latest set of indictments focuses on the two months between his November 2020 loss to Democrat Joe Biden and the January 6, 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol. Trump has denied wrongdoing and has linked his 2024 presidential campaign to his legal defense and his false allegations of 2020 election fraud.
Trump has continued to receive support from GOP elected officials throughout the investigations and criminal trials, including on Friday from all six of the state’s Republican members of the U.S. House.
Alabama Senator Tommy Tuberville, who is leading an unprecedented campaign to try to change the Pentagon’s abortion policy by blocking hundreds of military nominations and promotions, introduced Trump at Friday night’s dinner.
He’s had a tough week. We’ve got to get behind him,’ Tuberville said. “He needs encouragement. They’re after him.’ He echoed Trump’s frequent chorus, adding, “They’re after you.”
Among the dinner’s opening acts were Catherine Engelbrecht and Gregg Phillips, who produced the film 2000 Mules, which made several debunked claims about mail ballots, mailboxes, and ballot collecting in the 2020 presidential election.
Trump praised the couple in his remarks, saying, “Get ready. Get those voices ready. Just get them ready. Keep those tapes handy, because you’re going to need them.’
The crowd of 2,700 began arriving several hours early for dinner, a $250-per-ticket fundraiser for the Alabama Republican Party.
“They’re excited,” said Alabama Republican chairman John Wahl. “There is so much passion from Trump supporters and voters across the state.”