Former President Donald Trump engaged in a friendly, nearly three-hour-long conversation with comedian Joe Rogan on his “The Joe Rogan Experience” podcast Friday that allowed Trump to again suggest he might eliminate the federal income tax if he becomes president, tout debunked election conspiracies and suggest there might be life on Mars, despite what scientists believe.
Key Facts
- Eliminating income taxes: Trump was asked if he was serious about his support behind removing income taxes and replacing them with tariffs, to which he responded, “Yeah, sure” and praised the 25th U.S. President William McKinley and the U.S. economy of old (economists believe Trump’s plan to raise tariffs on imported goods would raise prices for consumers).
- Debunked 2020 election claims: Trump continued to say the 2020 election was stolen from him, and suggested he could provide Rogan with “so many different papers” that would back his claims of election fraud, though he did not provide specific details about how the election was stolen, a claim he’s used to galvanize his supporters.
- Instead, Trump spoke vaguely about a lack of legislative approval for pandemic-era voting extensions and early voting, telling Rogan “you don’t have to go any further than that.”
- Trump later took a tangent into Hunter Biden’s laptop controversy before quickly returning to the results of the 2020 election, saying “I won by like, I lost by like, I didn’t lose,” prompting a laugh from Rogan at the slip-up.
- Distrust of polls: Trump also expressed his distrust of polls on the podcast and said without evidence there was “probably a lot of fraud” in polls, which mostly have him and Vice President Kamala Harris tied or close with less than two weeks before Election Day.
- Rogan, who declined to have Trump on his show in 2022 and later called the former president “an existential threat to democracy,” told Trump that he wanted to have him on the podcast following the former president’s assassination attempt in July, before Trump showed the part of his ear nicked by a bullet.
- Trump and Rogan challenged each other near the podcast’s one-hour mark, with Trump claiming environmental consultants use environmental regulations as a way to benefit themselves and hinder construction projects, prompting Rogan to note “there are legitimate concerns about environmental impacts.”
- Rogan used the final minutes of the lengthy podcast to get Trump’s thoughts on extraterrestrial life, with the former president referencing “great pilots” who have seen “very strange” things and telling Rogan “there’s no reason not to think that Mars and all these planets don’t have life”—though scientists do not expect to find life on Mars and are instead searching for signs of life from long ago, such as fossilized remains, according to NASA.
Will Kamala Harris Appear On Rogan’s Podcast?
She will not, a campaign spokesman said Friday, citing scheduling conflicts. She appeared on the “Call Her Daddy” podcast with Alex Cooper and “The Breakfast Club” radio show this month.
Tangent
Trump was nearly three hours late to his Friday night rally in Michigan due to his appearance on Rogan’s podcast. He apologized to attendees, telling them he figured they “wouldn’t mind too much because we’re trying to win.”
Surprising Fact
Trump blasted Rogan earlier this year when the media personality said former presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was the only candidate who was not trying to “gaslight” or “manipulate” voters. Trump later suggested in a Truth Social post Rogan, who is also a UFC commentator, would get loudly booed during his next appearance at a UFC card.
Key Background
Joe Rogan’s podcast holds the No. 1 spot on Spotify’s top podcasts list and is part of a $200 million exclusive deal between the media personality and the streaming service. Rogan has historically been critical of Trump and Harris, calling him “an existential threat to democracy” and calling her “the worst.” However, Rogan has garnered support from Trump supporters through conspiracy theories shared on his show, some of which have landed him in hot water. Specifically, Rogan has faced backlash from Spotify and viewers about his approach to covering COVID-19 and the vaccines used to combat the illness. Rogan apologized two years ago for hosting multiple vaccine skeptics who spread misleading claims on his show, saying he would offer a more balanced set of viewpoints on the podcast and that it was a “strange responsibility” to have such a large audience.
What Other Podcasts Has Trump Appeared On?
Trump has made appearances on internet shows with male-leaning audiences such as comedian Andrew Shulz’s “Flagrant” podcast, prankster collective the Nelk Boys’ “Full Send” podcast and Barstool Sports’ podcast “Bussin with the Boys.” The former president has also been on “This Past Weekend” with comedian Theo Von, a livestream with streamer Adin Ross and the “Six Feet Under” podcast from wrestler Mark Calaway, also known as “The Undertaker.”
This article was originally published on forbes.com.
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